Southern Thailand Registered Companies by Province in 2026
In short
Southern Thailand holds 179,033 registered companies as of 2 July 2026, which is 9.0 percent of the national total. Those firms report 2.32 trillion baht in revenue, only 3.0 percent of the country's turnover. Three provinces dominate the region. Phuket, Surat Thani and Songkhla together hold 121,261 companies, 67.7 percent of the South. The rest of the 14 provinces split what remains.
How much business is registered in Southern Thailand?
The 14 southern provinces hold 179,033 registered companies as of 2 July 2026 (DBD, 2026). That is 9.0 percent of the 1,989,709 companies registered across Thailand. The weight of those firms is lighter than the count suggests. Southern companies report 2.32 trillion baht in revenue, which works out to just 3.0 percent of the national total. So the region carries roughly one in eleven companies but only one in thirty-three baht of turnover. Three provinces do most of the lifting. Phuket, Surat Thani and Songkhla together account for 121,261 companies, or 67.7 percent of everything registered in the South.
Top southern provinces by company count
- Phuket52,557
- Surat Thani40,161
- Songkhla28,543
- Nakhon Si Thammarat14,023
- Krabi7,793
- Trang6,033
Figures in registered companies.
Phuket leads on headcount. Songkhla and Surat Thani trail on companies yet outweigh Phuket on revenue.
Southern provinces ranked by company count
| Province | Companies | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Phuket | 52,557 | 389 billion baht |
| Surat Thani | 40,161 | 410 billion baht |
| Songkhla | 28,543 | 657 billion baht |
| Nakhon Si Thammarat | 14,023 | n/a |
| Krabi | 7,793 | n/a |
| Trang | 6,033 | n/a |
Registered companies and reported revenue for the leading southern provinces, as of 2 Jul 2026.
Two Souths, not one
The province rankings hide a split in the region's character. Phuket tops the count with 52,557 companies, yet those firms report only 389 billion baht between them. That is about 7.40 million baht of revenue per company. Songkhla runs the opposite way. It holds 28,543 companies, just over half of Phuket's count, but they report 657 billion baht, or roughly 23.02 million baht per company. Surat Thani sits in between at about 10.21 million baht per firm. Phuket and Krabi are tourism economies built on many small operators, hotels, dive shops, tour agents and villa managers. Songkhla is a port and rubber-processing hub where fewer, larger companies move heavier value. Reading the South by company count alone would tell you Phuket is the center of gravity. Read it by revenue and Songkhla pulls even.
Why this matters
A registry count is a map of where formal business chooses to incorporate, and the South draws that map twice. Anyone selling into the region, a bank, a software vendor, a franchise, faces two different markets wearing one label. The tourism provinces reward a high-volume, low-ticket playbook aimed at thousands of small firms. The port-and-rubber provinces reward a smaller number of larger accounts. The regional revenue share, 3.0 percent of the national total against a 9.0 percent share of companies, also flags how much southern activity stays small or seasonal. Tourism receipts nationwide reached 647 billion baht in one quarter of 2025 (NESDC, 2025), so the ceiling is not the problem. The structure is. Growth in the South is less about adding companies and more about helping the ones already there report bigger years.
Definitions
- Registered company
- A juristic person recorded in the Department of Business Development registry, counted at its registered province regardless of where it operates.
- Revenue per company
- A province's total reported revenue divided by its registered company count, used here as a rough gauge of average firm size.
- Regional share
- A region's value as a fraction of the national total, expressed as a percentage.
- Southern Thailand
- The 14 provinces of the Thai peninsula south of the central plain, spanning the Gulf and Andaman coasts.
Assumptions
- Companies are counted at their registered province, which may differ from where they actually trade.
- Revenue reflects only companies that filed a financial statement, so provinces with many non-filers are understated.
- Revenue is shown for the three largest provinces only, where the brief supplies figures.
- Revenue-per-company figures are derived ratios, not registry fields.
Methodology
Company counts and revenue are aggregates of registered juristic persons in each southern province, drawn from the Department of Business Development registry as of 2 July 2026. The South is defined as the 14 provinces of peninsular Thailand. National totals used for the share calculations are 1,989,709 registered companies and 76.62 trillion baht of revenue. Revenue is total reported turnover for companies that filed a financial statement, so provinces with many non-filers are understated. Revenue-per-company figures are the province revenue divided by its company count.
How we verified this
- Three-province company total recomputed from the brief: 52,557 + 40,161 + 28,543 = 121,261.
- Three-province regional share recomputed: 121,261 / 179,033 = 0.677, that is 67.7 percent.
- Regional company share recomputed: 179,033 / 1,989,709 = 0.0900, that is 9.0 percent.
- Regional revenue share recomputed: 2.32 / 76.62 = 0.0303, that is 3.0 percent.
- Revenue per company recomputed: Phuket 389,000 / 52,557 = 7.40 million baht, Songkhla 657,000 / 28,543 = 23.02 million baht, Surat Thani 410,000 / 40,161 = 10.21 million baht, all in millions of baht.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons by province and financial statement aggregates. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
- Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council. (2025). Thai economic performance in Q2 of 2025 and the outlook for 2025. NESDC, Thailand. https://www.nesdc.go.th/
Frequently asked questions
How many companies are registered in Southern Thailand?
The 14 southern provinces hold 179,033 registered companies as of 2 July 2026, which is 9.0 percent of the national total of 1,989,709.
Which southern province has the most companies?
Phuket, with 52,557 registered companies, ahead of Surat Thani at 40,161 and Songkhla at 28,543.
Which southern province produces the most revenue?
Songkhla, whose companies report 657 billion baht, more than Surat Thani at 410 billion or Phuket at 389 billion, despite Songkhla holding far fewer firms.
Why does the South have 9.0 percent of companies but only 3.0 percent of revenue?
Much of the region's formal business is small or seasonal tourism activity, so a high company count converts into a much smaller share of national turnover.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Southern Thailand Registered Companies by Province in 2026. Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/southern-thailand-business-in-2026
Data & corrections
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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.