Thai Companies by Five-Year Founding Cohort, Share of 2026 Register
In short
Companies founded from 2022 to 2026 supply 29.83 percent of Thailand's 1,989,709 registered companies as of 17 July 2026. The 2017 to 2021 cohort supplies 29.10 percent. Together the two newest cohorts hold 58.92 percent of the register. The 2007 to 2011 cohort holds just 9.32 percent. Companies founded before 2007 add 15.93 percent.
Which five-year period built the most of today's register?
The newest one, by a hair. Companies founded from 2022 to 2026 total 593,524 and make up 29.83 percent of the register (DBD, 2026). The 2017 to 2021 cohort is a close second at 578,908 companies. That is 29.10 percent. Go back to 2012 to 2016 and the share drops to 15.82 percent. The 2007 to 2011 cohort is smaller still at 9.32 percent. From 2007 forward, every five-year cohort is bigger than the one before it. The register is young. Nearly three in every five companies on it were founded in the last ten years.
Share of the 1,989,709 register by founding period
- Before 200716
- 2007 to 20119
- 2012 to 201616
- 2017 to 202129
- 2022 to 202630
Figures in percent of registered companies.
The 2022 to 2026 bar covers four full years and part of 2026. Companies founded before 2007 are shown as one block.
Cohort ladder from 2007 onward
| Founding period | Companies | Share of register |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 to 2011 | 185,484 | 9.32% |
| 2012 to 2016 | 314,816 | 15.82% |
| 2017 to 2021 | 578,908 | 29.10% |
| 2022 to 2026 | 593,524 | 29.83% |
| Before 2007 | 316,977 | 15.93% |
| All registered companies | 1,989,709 | 100.00% |
Companies on the register by five-year founding cohort, as of 17 Jul 2026.
One boom year, then a dip and a recovery
One year does a lot of the lifting. The 2021 founding class is 151,205 companies. That is 7.60 percent of the whole register. The 2021 class alone is five times the size of the 2007 founding class. The 2017 to 2021 cohort is 3.12 times the size of the 2007 to 2011 cohort. After 2021 the annual count fell to 119,923 in 2022 and 112,461 in 2023. It then climbed to 128,617 in 2025. The 2022 to 2026 cohort edges past the one before it by 2.52 percent, and it did so with 2026 still only part way through. Excluding 2026, the 2022 to 2025 years supply 482,658 companies. That is 24.26 percent of the register.
Why this matters
A register dominated by recent births changes what its totals mean. A company count is not a count of mature businesses. Most of the entries are still inside their first decade, and many have not yet filed the financial statements that would show whether they work. Anyone sizing a market, building a lead list or comparing provinces should expect the age mix to pull averages toward the young. It also hides a quiet filter. Older cohorts only appear if their companies survived and stayed registered, so the thin 2007 to 2011 rung is partly a record of who is still here, not only of how many were founded.
Definitions
- Founding cohort
- All companies registered during the same group of years. Here each cohort spans five calendar years.
- Register
- The list of companies registered with the Department of Business Development, 1,989,709 as of 17 July 2026.
- Survivorship
- The effect of counting only companies still on the register, which leaves out older companies that have since been removed.
Assumptions
- The 2022 to 2026 cohort includes 2026 as a partial year, so its share will rise as the year fills in.
- The pre-2007 figure is derived by subtraction from the total, not counted directly.
- Only companies still on the register appear, so older cohorts look smaller than the number originally founded.
- Founding year is taken from registry data and shares use the full register of 1,989,709 as the denominator.
Methodology
Counts come from the Department of Business Development company registry as of 17 July 2026, using the founding year of each registered company. Years are grouped into five-year cohorts starting 2007, and the 2022 to 2026 cohort includes 2026 as a partial year. Companies founded before 2007 are computed as the 1,989,709 total registered companies minus the sum of the four cohorts, so that figure is derived rather than counted directly. Only companies still on the register are included, so the data shows survivors, not all companies ever founded.
How we verified this
- 2007 to 2011: 30,227 + 33,093 + 35,371 + 41,404 + 45,389 = 185,484. 185,484 / 1,989,709 = 9.32 percent.
- 2012 to 2016: 49,466 + 60,270 + 63,417 + 68,500 + 73,163 = 314,816. 314,816 / 1,989,709 = 15.82 percent.
- 2017 to 2021: 89,719 + 104,273 + 111,284 + 122,427 + 151,205 = 578,908. 578,908 / 1,989,709 = 29.10 percent.
- 2022 to 2026: 119,923 + 112,461 + 121,657 + 128,617 + 110,866 = 593,524. 593,524 / 1,989,709 = 29.83 percent.
- Four cohorts sum to 1,672,732. 1,989,709 - 1,672,732 = 316,977 founded before 2007, which is 15.93 percent. The five shares sum to 100.00 percent.
- 593,524 + 578,908 = 1,172,432, which is 58.92 percent of the register. 578,908 / 185,484 = 3.12. 593,524 / 578,908 = 1.0252. 151,205 / 1,989,709 = 7.60 percent. 482,658 / 1,989,709 = 24.26 percent for 2022 to 2025.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons and founding year aggregates. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
Frequently asked questions
What share of Thailand's companies were founded in the last five years?
Companies founded from 2022 to 2026 are 29.83 percent of the register, or 593,524 of 1,989,709, as of 17 July 2026 (DBD, 2026). The 2026 count is partial.
How much of the register was founded since 2017?
The 2017 to 2021 and 2022 to 2026 cohorts together hold 1,172,432 companies, which is 58.92 percent of the register.
Why is the 2007 to 2011 cohort so small?
It holds 185,484 companies, or 9.32 percent. Fewer companies were founded in those years, and only those still registered today are counted, so some earlier births no longer appear.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Thai Companies by Five-Year Founding Cohort, Share of 2026 Register. Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/thai-five-year-founding-cohorts-share-of-todays-register-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.