Years Thailand Added Over 100,000 New Companies in 2026
In short
Thailand has registered more than 100,000 new companies in 9 founding years, and every one of them falls in 2018 or later. That includes 110,866 so far in 2026, a partial year as of 17 July 2026. Before 2018, the register went 11 straight years below that mark, from 2007 to 2017. The peak was 151,205 in 2021. The 100,000 line is no longer a boom threshold. It is the floor.
How many years has Thailand topped 100,000 new companies?
Nine. Thailand has added more than 100,000 new companies in each founding year from 2018 through 2026 (DBD, 2026). Before that, 11 founding years in a row, 2007 to 2017, stayed under the mark. The best of them, 2017, reached 89,719. Then 2018 broke through at 104,273 and the register has not dropped back since. The 2026 count of 110,866 is still a partial year, so the ninth year can only grow.
New companies registered by founding year
- 200730,227
- 200833,093
- 200935,371
- 201041,404
- 201145,389
- 201249,466
- 201360,270
- 201463,417
- 201568,500
- 201673,163
- 201789,719
- 2018104,273
- 2019111,284
- 2020122,427
- 2021151,205
- 2022119,923
- 2023112,461
- 2024121,657
- 2025128,617
- 2026110,866
Figures in new companies.
The 100,000 line was crossed in 2018 and has held for nine founding years. 2026 is a partial year as of 17 July 2026.
New companies by founding year, with the 100,000 test
| Founding year | New companies | Above 100,000? |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 30,227 | No |
| 2008 | 33,093 | No |
| 2009 | 35,371 | No |
| 2010 | 41,404 | No |
| 2011 | 45,389 | No |
| 2012 | 49,466 | No |
| 2013 | 60,270 | No |
| 2014 | 63,417 | No |
| 2015 | 68,500 | No |
| 2016 | 73,163 | No |
| 2017 | 89,719 | No |
| 2018 | 104,273 | Yes |
| 2019 | 111,284 | Yes |
| 2020 | 122,427 | Yes |
| 2021 | 151,205 | Yes |
| 2022 | 119,923 | Yes |
| 2023 | 112,461 | Yes |
| 2024 | 121,657 | Yes |
| 2025 | 128,617 | Yes |
| 2026, partial | 110,866 | Yes |
New company registrations by founding year, 2007 to 2026, as of 17 Jul 2026. 2026 is a partial year.
Why a threshold became a floor
The step up in 2018 was real. Formations rose 16.2 percent from 2017 to 2018, the jump that carried the count over the line. The average founding year from 2007 to 2017 added 53,638 companies. The average from 2018 to 2026 adds 120,301, which is 2.24 times as many. Even the weakest year since the crossing, 2018 itself at 104,273, would have beaten every year before it. The 2021 peak of 151,205 was followed by a 20.7 percent drop in 2022, to 119,923. That was a sharp fall, and it still landed well above 100,000.
Why this matters
Anyone sizing a Thai market, pricing a service for new businesses or planning supply to start-ups should stop treating 100,000 formations a year as an exceptional year. It is the baseline of the last nine. Of the 1,672,732 companies founded from 2007 to 2026 and still on the register, 1,082,713 date from 2018 onward, or 64.7 percent. Nearly two thirds of the registry is therefore young. The risk for the next decade is not whether formation holds up. It is how many of these new entities ever file accounts or stay active, a question this count alone cannot answer.
Definitions
- Founding year
- The calendar year, in the Gregorian count, in which a company was registered.
- New company
- A juristic person recorded on the DBD register with that founding year.
- Partial year
- A year not yet complete in the data, so its count will rise.
Assumptions
- Counts include only entities still on the register, so older founding years may be understated.
- 2026 is a partial year, so its total will rise, though the count of nine years above 100,000 cannot fall.
- A registration is not proof of trading activity. Many registered companies are dormant.
Methodology
Counts of new companies come from the Department of Business Development registry, grouped by founding year of each registered juristic person, using the database snapshot computed on 17 July 2026. A year counts as above 100,000 when its count is strictly greater than 100,000. The 2026 figure covers only part of the year, so it is a floor for the final total. Counts reflect companies still present on the register, so earlier years may understate the number originally registered.
How we verified this
- Years above 100,000 were counted from the series: 2018 through 2026 is 9 years. Years at or below the mark: 2007 through 2017 is 11 years. 9 plus 11 equals the 20 founding years in the series.
- Sum of 2018 to 2026 counts: 104,273 plus 111,284 plus 122,427 plus 151,205 plus 119,923 plus 112,461 plus 121,657 plus 128,617 plus 110,866 equals 1,082,713.
- Sum of 2007 to 2017 counts equals 590,019. Total 1,082,713 plus 590,019 equals 1,672,732.
- Share from 2018 onward: 1,082,713 divided by 1,672,732 equals 0.6473, or 64.7 percent.
- Average 2007 to 2017: 590,019 divided by 11 equals 53,638. Average 2018 to 2026: 1,082,713 divided by 9 equals 120,301. Ratio 120,301 divided by 53,638 equals 2.24.
- 2017 to 2018 growth: 104,273 minus 89,719 equals 14,554, divided by 89,719 equals 16.2 percent.
- 2021 to 2022 change: 119,923 minus 151,205 equals negative 31,282, divided by 151,205 equals negative 20.7 percent.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons by founding year. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
Frequently asked questions
How many years has Thailand registered more than 100,000 new companies?
Nine founding years, 2018 through 2026, including the partial 2026 count of 110,866 as of 17 July 2026.
When did Thailand first pass 100,000 new companies in a year?
In 2018, with 104,273 new companies. The previous best was 89,719 in 2017.
What was the biggest year for new company registrations?
2021, with 151,205 new companies.
Is the 2026 figure final?
No. 110,866 covers only part of the year as of 17 July 2026, so the final total will be higher.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Years Thailand Added Over 100,000 New Companies in 2026. Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/how-many-years-has-thailand-registered-more-than-100000-new-companies-2026
Data & corrections
Download the data (CSV)Spot something off, or want to ask about the data? Email insights@maxsolutions.co.th. We publish corrections.
Written by
Chatpong L.Founder, Max Data, Max Solutions Co., Ltd.
Chatpong L. leads Max Data, a company-intelligence platform built on Thailand's official business registry. He writes about the structure of the Thai economy using primary registry data. His work covers company formation, industry concentration, and regional business activity.
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This page reports company-level and aggregate statistics only. It names no individuals and makes no claims about any person. Figures are provided for information and may be revised as source data updates.