Inequality time bomb ticks away...

Thailand's inequality is not just unfair; it is unethical.

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It decides who gets a future and who does not long before effort, talent, or choice has any chance to matter.As a new year begins, the scale of Thailand's disparity should unsettle us. In 2018, Thailand was ranked the worst in the world for wealth inequality.

Years later, it remains among the world's ten most unequal countries. Last year, it ranked the worst in Asean, according to the World Inequality Report.

The numbers are stark. The richest 1% of Thais control around one-third of national wealth. The top 10% hold close to 60%. The bottom half of the population owns less than 3%.

In income terms, the top 10% takes more than half of all earnings, while the bottom 50% share just 14%. The income gap between the top and bottom 10% ranges from 16 to 42 times.

Thailand's land disparity is among the worst in the world. Research shows the wealthiest 10% own over 60% of privately held land.

The top 1% alone hold about 40% of all land deeds. One powerful tycoon owns more than 600,000 rai. Meanwhile, millions of farmers — the backbone of the rural economy — have little or no land to till.

At the bottom, the picture is bleak. The poorest 50% of the population own just 5% of the land. The gap between the top 20% and the bottom 20% is a staggering 325 times.