Nonthaburi is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand, established by the , which came into force on 9 May 1946 (Thursday).
Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok, and Nakhon Pathom. Nonthaburi is the most densely populated province after Bangkok. The Bang Kwang Central Prison is in the province.
The province of Nonthaburi is located on the Chao Phraya River basin in central Thailand. It borders Bangkok to the south and east, the provinces of Pathum Thani and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya to the north, and Nakhon Pathom to the west. The province is part of the greater Bangkok Metropolitan Region. With an area of , it is the third smallest province in the country by land area.
In most parts the provice is as urbanized as the capital, and the boundary between the two provinces is nearly unrecognizable. There is no forest area in the province.
Nonthaburi province has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification category Aw). Winters are dry and warm. Temperatures rise until May. The monsoon season runs from May through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm. Climate statistics: the maximum temperature is in April and the lowest temperature is in December. The highest average temperature is and the minimum average temperature is . Annual total rainfall was with total 112 rainy days. Maximum daily rainfall was on September 20, 2024.
Nonthaburi was declared a city in the middle of the 16th century. It was previously a village named Talat Khwan. During the reign of King Prasat Thong, a canal was dug to create a shortcut for the flow of the Chao Phraya. The river changed its flow into the new canal, which is still the riverbed today. In 1665 King Narai built a fortress, as the shorter river course was giving enemies an easier route to the capital, Ayutthaya. The town was then moved near the fortress.
From 1943 to 1946 the province was incorporated into Bangkok.
The provincial seal shows earthenware, a traditional product of Nonthaburi. The provincial tree and flower is the yellow flame tree (Peltophorum pterocarpum). Nonthaburi is a province where the Chao Phraya River crosses from north to south, and on the ground, the Chao Phraya giant catfish (Pangasius sanitwongsei) is the provincial aquatic life.
The provincial slogan translates to "Grand royal mansion, renowned Suan Somdet, Ko Kret's pottery, famous ancient temples, tasty durians, and the beautiful government office". The royal mansion refers to Phra Tamnak Nonthaburi in Mueang Nonthaburi District, the former residence of Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. Princess Mother Srinagarindra Garden (Suan Somdet) is a water garden with a statue of princess Srinagarindra in the Pak Kret District. The provincial administration building once received an award as the most beautiful such building by the Ministry of Interior.
Population history of Nonthaburi province is as follows:
Most people in Nonthaburi province are Buddhist, 96.1%, followed by Islam, 3.1%.<br>Other religions are: Christianity 0.59%, Confucianism, Sikhism and others 0.07%, and Hinduism 0.05%.
There are total 198 Theravada Buddhist temples in the province, of which 189 Maha Nikai and 9 Dhammayut temples.
Further there are 38 Cristian churches and 19 Mosques in the province.
The province is divided into six districts (amphoes). The districts are further subdivided into 52 subdistricts (tambons) and 433 villages (mubans).
As of 8 September 2020 there are: one Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization - PAO (') and twenty-two municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. The capital Nonthaburi and Pak Kret have city (thesaban nakhon) status. Further ten have town (thesaban mueang) status and ten subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon).
The non-municipal areas are administered by 23 Subdistrict Administrative<br> Organizations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).
Educational institutions from primary to high education in Nonthaburi province is as follows:
There are eleven government hospitals in Nonthaburi province, of which Mueang Nonthaburi district has one regional hospital:<br> Phra Nang Klao Hospital with 657 beds.<br> There are seven community hospitals in the other five districts:
Furthermore, there are three specialized hospitals in Mueang Nonthaburi district:
There are thirteen private hospitals in Nonthaburi province:
There are total 78 health-promoting hospitals in the province, of which: 16 in Mueang Nonthaburi, 15 in Bang Bua Thong, 15 in Pak Kret, 13 in Sai Noi, 11 in Bang Kruai and 8 in Bang Yai districts.
Around 743 clinics are in Nonthaburi province, of which 334 clinics in Mueang Nonthaburi, 184 Pak Kret, 93 Bang Bua Thong, 64 Bang Yai, 59 Bang Kruai and 9 Sai Noi districts.
In 2023, Nonthaburi province had an economic output of 400.388 billion baht (US$10.54 billion). This amounts to per capita gross provincial product (GPP) of 214,515 baht (US$5,645). In 2025 the total workforce was 1,228,109 of which 1,219,841 persons were employed in economic activity. In agriculture and fishery 16,366 persons (1.3%) were employed and in the non-agricultural sector 1,203,476 persons (98.7%).
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, the biggest sector of the economy generated 66,962 million baht (US$1,762 million) or 16.7% of GPP with 17,734 registered entities and a workforce of 332,570 people (27.3% of all employed persons ).
The second sector of the economy generated 54,544 million baht (US$1,435 million) or 13.6% of GPP with 3,5162 registered entities and a workforce of 199,544 people (16.4%).
1,340 construction entities and a workforce of 74,109 people (6.1%) contributed 14,011 million baht (US$368 million) or 3.5% of GPP.
Nonthaburi province is renowned for growing the best durians in the country. Durian has been a well-known fruit in this province for 400 years. The fruit is known as "Durian Non" which means durian from Nonthaburi province. It is also known as the most expensive durian in the world. There are six groups of Nonthaburi durian which are Kop, Luang, Kan Yao, Kampan, Thong Yoi, and miscellaneous. Most durian orchards are near rivers such as the Chao Phraya. This is because the soil next to the river is good for planting which is also good for durian trees. Many durian orchards have disappeared due to flooding and pollution. The price of durian Non depends on its group. Kan Yao is the most expensive, starting from around 10,000 baht up to 20,000 baht (or about US$600) for one durian. The Kan Yao itself is not easy to find in normal markets. The main reason for the high price is because it is rare. The recent flood in 2011 cleared out almost all of the durian trees in Nonthaburi, and only a few trees have been newly planted. Also, residential areas are expanding into agricultural areas.
Agriculture and fishery in Nonthaburi province, the sixteenth sector of the economy, generated 5,515 million baht (US$145 million) or 1.4% of GPP with a workforce of 16,366 (1.3% of all employed persons).
Agricultural land use is 43.4% of total land of Nonthaburi province . This is divided as follows: paddy land: 24.4%, farmland: 11,3%, orchard/perennial crop: 4.3% and vegetable/ornamental plant: 3.2%.
Production of the arable crop: rice 113,403 tonnes.
Production of the eight main vegetable crops: lettuce 1,346 tonnes, Chinese kale 1,134 tonnes, pakchoi 912 tonnes, water convolvulus 749 tonnes, holy basil 400 tonnes, Chinese chive 381 tonnes, water mimosa 218 tonnes and Thai basil 174 tonnes.
Production of the five main fruit crops: mango 1,465 tonnes, banana 1,117 tonnes; sweet young coconut 569 tonnes, lime 501 tonnes and pomelo 387 tonnes.
Livestock produced included: chickens 113,905, ducks 93,663, goats 4,428 and beef cattle 2,491.
Total catch from 2,053 freshwater aquaculture farms amounted to 2,746 tonnes.
There were 4,340 hotel rooms in 2024; about 4,126,253 people of which 3,881,884 Thai (94%) visited Nonthaburi province and contributed 6,842 million baht (US$193 million) to tourism revenues.
Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.