In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 21 August 1986
- Birthplace
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Country
- Thailand
- Nationality
- Thai
- Known for
- Becoming Thailand’s youngest prime minister and leading Pheu Thai after Srettha’s removal
- Office
- 31st Prime Minister, 18 August 2024 – 29 August 2025
- Historical first
- Thailand’s youngest prime minister
- Political party
- Pheu Thai Party
- House vote
- 319 votes in favour on 16 August 2024
Why this life matters
Paetongtarn’s rise renewed Shinawatra family leadership while her removal exposed the fragility of coalition government amid judicial power and Thai–Cambodian tension.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Bangkok
Born on 21 August as the youngest child of future prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Completed university studies
Studied political science at Chulalongkorn University and international hotel management at the University of Surrey.
Worked in family hospitality businesses
Held executive responsibilities at Rende Development and helped oversee major hotel projects.
Entered Pheu Thai leadership
Became chief adviser on participation and innovation as the party sought generational renewal.
Campaigned as a prime-ministerial candidate
Led rallies while pregnant and later became Pheu Thai leader after the election.
Became the 31st prime minister
Won a House vote two days after Srettha’s removal and received royal endorsement on 18 August.
Suspended during an ethics case
The Constitutional Court ordered her to cease prime-ministerial duties after a leaked call with Hun Sen.
Removed from office
A six-to-three ruling found a serious ethical breach and made the termination effective from the July suspension.
Education and a family business career
Paetongtarn Shinawatra was born in Bangkok on 21 August 1986, the youngest child of telecommunications entrepreneur and future prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. She studied political science, sociology and anthropology at Chulalongkorn University, then completed an MSc in international hotel management at the University of Surrey in 2009.
She returned to work in the family’s hospitality interests through Rende Development. Her responsibilities included hotel and golf assets and the launch of luxury properties. The experience gave her an executive profile but no elected or ministerial record before entering politics, making family name, business training and political apprenticeship inseparable parts of her early public identity.
Taking a public role in Pheu Thai
Pheu Thai appointed Paetongtarn chief adviser on participation and innovation in 2021. She soon became the public head of the “Pheu Thai Family,” travelling through the party’s northern and northeastern base and presenting herself as a younger carrier of policies associated with her father’s governments.
In the 2023 election she was one of three Pheu Thai prime-ministerial candidates and continued campaigning late into pregnancy. The party finished second to Move Forward, then formed a coalition with conservative and military-linked parties after the first-place party failed to install its leader. Paetongtarn became Pheu Thai leader in October and chaired government soft-power work under Srettha.
Thailand’s youngest prime minister
The Constitutional Court removed Srettha Thavisin on 14 August 2024, forcing the coalition to nominate another approved candidate. The House selected Paetongtarn two days later by 319 votes to 145, with 27 abstentions. Royal endorsement followed on 18 August, making her the 31st prime minister, the youngest person to hold the office and the second woman after her aunt Yingluck.
Her appointment restored overt Shinawatra family leadership but also intensified questions about influence and political succession. Supporters emphasised the family’s electoral record and policy brand; critics argued that Pheu Thai’s coalition bargain and Thaksin’s continued prominence blurred responsibility. Paetongtarn had to assert authority while governing through an alliance she had not personally assembled.
Economic continuity and coalition limits
The September 2024 policy statement largely continued Srettha’s agenda: household relief, stimulus, tourism, debt restructuring, legal reform and efforts to raise investment and productivity. The government began a cash-transfer phase aimed at vulnerable groups while revising the broader digital-wallet promise that Pheu Thai had used during the election.
Paetongtarn also promoted Thailand’s creative industries and tourism through a soft-power strategy developed before she became prime minister. Yet coalition bargaining, weak growth, flooding, constitutional reform and the unresolved role of her father limited the space for a distinct programme. Her tenure became increasingly defined by crisis management rather than long-term implementation.
The Cambodia call and Constitutional Court removal
A border confrontation with Cambodia became a domestic political crisis after Hun Sen, Cambodia’s Senate president, released a private June 2025 call with Paetongtarn. She said her conciliatory language was intended to preserve peace and open negotiation. Opponents argued that the conversation undermined national interests and disparaged a Thai regional army commander; Bhumjaithai withdrew from the coalition.
The Constitutional Court suspended Paetongtarn on 1 July and ruled on 29 August that her ministerial office had terminated. Six judges found disqualifying conduct under the Constitution’s integrity and ethical-standard provisions, while three regarded the breach as not serious enough for removal. The decision ended another Pheu Thai premiership through judicial review and cleared the way for Anutin Charnvirakul’s first government.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Paetongtarn Shinawatra
- Who is Paetongtarn Shinawatra?
- Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the 31st Prime Minister of Thailand, 2024–2025. Paetongtarn’s rise renewed Shinawatra family leadership while her removal exposed the fragility of coalition government amid judicial power and Thai–Cambodian tension.
- What is Paetongtarn Shinawatra best known for?
- Paetongtarn Shinawatra is best known for becoming Thailand’s youngest prime minister and leading Pheu Thai after Srettha’s removal.
- When and where was Paetongtarn Shinawatra born?
- Paetongtarn Shinawatra was born on 21 August 1986 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Sources and further reading
How this biography was checked
Core dates and offices are checked against the sources below. This profile was last reviewed on 3 October 2026.
- Secretariat of the Prime Minister of ThailandDirectory of Prime Ministers of Thailand
- Public Relations Department of ThailandHouse vote for Thailand’s 31st prime minister
- ReutersThai king endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister
- Royal Thai GovernmentPolicy Statement of the Paetongtarn government
- Constitutional Court of ThailandPress Release 32/2025 on the end of Paetongtarn’s office
- University of SurreySurrey graduate who became prime minister of Thailand
- ReutersPaetongtarn becomes Thailand’s youngest prime minister
- Wikimedia CommonsPortrait and public-domain record
