Border vs Interior Provinces: Company Size in Thailand (2026)
In short
Thailand's 31 border provinces host 280,973 registered companies, about 14.1 percent of the national total, as of 17 July 2026. Each earns 14.37 million baht on average. Interior provinces outside Bangkok earn 28.55 million baht per company, roughly double. The typical province tells a gentler story, because a few industrial provinces inflate the interior average.
Do border provinces have fewer and smaller companies?
Yes on both counts, but the size of the gap depends on how you measure it. Thailand's 31 land border provinces hold 280,973 registered companies, which is 14.15 percent of the 1,986,137 companies that list a province (DBD, 2026). They book just 5.04 percent of reported revenue. The average border province has 9,064 companies, against 19,830 in the average interior province outside Bangkok. Revenue per company tells the same story at a wider distance. Border provinces average 14.37 million baht. Interior provinces outside Bangkok average 28.55 million baht, and Bangkok alone averages 62.19 million baht.
Revenue per registered company by province group
- Bangkok62
- All interior provinces incl. Bangkok45
- Interior provinces excl. Bangkok29
- Border provinces14
Figures in million baht per company.
Total reported revenue divided by registered companies in each group, as of 17 July 2026. Interior includes every non-border province.
Border, interior and Bangkok side by side
| Group | Provinces | Companies | Revenue, billion baht | Revenue per company, million baht | Median province companies | Median province revenue per company, million baht |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border provinces | 31 | 280,973 | 4,036 | 14 | 5,350 | 13 |
| Interior excluding Bangkok | 45 | 892,365 | 25,476 | 29 | 7,521 | 16 |
| Bangkok | 1 | 812,799 | 50,545 | 62 | 812,799 | 62 |
Registered companies, reported revenue and the typical province in each group, as of 17 Jul 2026.
The median province tells a gentler story
Averages are pulled upward by a handful of industrial provinces in the interior. Rayong earns 96.74 million baht per company. Prachin Buri earns 80.79 million baht. Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya earns 73.14 million baht. Strip out that pull and the typical province looks much closer. The median border province earns 13.15 million baht per company, which is 83.7 percent of the 15.72 million baht earned by the median interior province outside Bangkok. On company count the median border province has 5,350 companies, or 71.1 percent of the interior median of 7,521. Border provinces are smaller, but not half the size.
The ten largest border provinces by company count
| Province | Companies | Revenue per company, million baht |
|---|---|---|
| Chiang Mai | 65,164 | 8 |
| Songkhla | 28,543 | 23 |
| Chiang Rai | 18,652 | 16 |
| Ubon Ratchathani | 14,469 | 15 |
| Prachuap Khiri Khan | 13,177 | 9 |
| Ratchaburi | 11,932 | 31 |
| Phitsanulok | 11,899 | 12 |
| Kanchanaburi | 10,010 | 16 |
| Buri Ram | 9,325 | 18 |
| Surin | 7,666 | 15 |
Registered companies and revenue per company, as of 17 Jul 2026.
Why this matters
Border provinces are not one economy. Chiang Mai alone holds 65,164 companies, or 23.19 percent of the border total, yet earns only 8.11 million baht per company. Ratchaburi earns 31.30 million baht per company, which is about double the interior median. Chumphon earns 28.70 million baht and Chanthaburi earns 26.99 million baht. Nine of the 31 border provinces sit above the interior median of 15.72 million baht per company. The other 22 sit below it. At the bottom, Mae Hong Son has 1,569 companies. They earn 3.86 million baht each. A buyer, lender or supplier who treats the frontier as a single block will misprice most of it. The better filter is the province, not the map line. For anyone scouting cross border trade partners, the registry points to a handful of provinces where the scale sits, and a long tail where it does not.
Definitions
- Border province
- A province that shares a land boundary with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia. Thailand has 31.
- Interior province
- Any province without a land boundary with a neighbouring country. Bangkok is interior and is also shown on its own.
- Revenue per company
- Total reported revenue in a group divided by all registered companies in that group.
- Median province
- The middle province when provinces in a group are ranked. It is less affected by a few very large or very small provinces than the average.
- Aggregate
- A total or ratio computed across a whole group rather than an average of individual company figures.
Assumptions
- Revenue is reported only by companies that filed a financial statement, so provinces with lower filing rates look smaller.
- Revenue is booked at the registered province, which can differ from where the activity happens. Head offices in Bangkok inflate Bangkok and understate the provinces.
- Registered companies include dormant ones, so counts are not a measure of active firms.
- The border classification uses land boundaries only. Maritime neighbours and border trade zones are not modelled.
Methodology
Company counts and reported revenue come from the Department of Business Development registry province aggregates, as of 17 July 2026. A border province is one that shares a land boundary with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia, which gives 31 of Thailand's 77 provinces. The remaining 46 are interior, including Bangkok, which is also shown separately. 572 companies with no recorded province are excluded. Revenue per company divides total reported revenue by all registered companies in the group, including those that filed no statement, so it understates the revenue of a filing company and is best read as a comparison between groups.
How we verified this
- Group company counts were summed: 280,973 border plus 892,365 interior excluding Bangkok plus 812,799 Bangkok equals 1,986,137.
- Border share of companies recomputed: 280,973 divided by 1,986,137 equals 14.15 percent.
- Border share of revenue recomputed: 4,036.23 billion divided by 80,057.09 billion baht equals 5.04 percent.
- Revenue per company recomputed: 4,036.23 billion divided by 280,973 equals 14.37 million baht, and 25,475.82 billion divided by 892,365 equals 28.55 million baht.
- Interior including Bangkok recomputed: 76,020.86 billion divided by 1,705,164 companies equals 44.58 million baht.
- Median ratios recomputed: 13.15 divided by 15.72 equals 83.7 percent, and 5,350 divided by 7,521 equals 71.1 percent.
- Chiang Mai share of border companies recomputed: 65,164 divided by 280,973 equals 23.19 percent.
- Province counts checked: 31 border plus 45 interior plus Bangkok equals 77.
- Nine border provinces counted above the interior median of 15.72 million baht per company and 22 below.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons and financial statement aggregates by province. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
Frequently asked questions
How many companies are in Thailand's border provinces?
The 31 border provinces hold 280,973 registered companies, or 14.15 percent of the 1,986,137 companies with a recorded province, as of 17 July 2026.
Do border province companies earn less than interior ones?
On average yes. Border provinces earn 14.37 million baht per company against 28.55 million baht in the interior outside Bangkok. The median province gap is smaller, at 13.15 against 15.72 million baht.
Which provinces count as border provinces here?
Any province with a land boundary with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia, 31 in total. Pattani, Prachin Buri and Phetchabun are treated as interior.
Are any border provinces richer per company than the interior?
Yes. Nine border provinces, including Ratchaburi at 31.30 million baht, Chumphon at 28.70 and Chanthaburi at 26.99, beat the interior median of 15.72 million baht.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Border vs Interior Provinces: Company Size in Thailand (2026). Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/thai-border-provinces-vs-interior-provinces-business-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.