Medium and Large Companies per 1,000 Active Firms by Industry 2026
In short
Manufacturing leads Thailand with 117.6 medium and large companies per 1,000 active companies as of 17 July 2026. Electricity and gas follows at 96.4. Mining and quarrying posts 88.6. The national rate is 53.2. Real estate manages only 17.1. Construction reaches 27.2. The sectors with the most firms are not where upper-tier firms cluster.
Which industry packs in the most upper-tier firms?
Manufacturing does. It counts 117.6 medium and large companies for every 1,000 active ones, more than double the national rate of 53.2 (DBD, 2026). Electricity and gas is next at 96.4, then mining and quarrying at 88.6 and water and waste at 76.8. Wholesale and retail follows at 74.8 and financial and insurance at 63.5. Human health sits well lower at 38.8. The common story that healthcare and finance dominate does not survive the count. Finance is above average, healthcare is below it, and factories beat both.
Medium and large companies per 1,000 active companies
- Manufacturing118
- Electricity and gas96
- Mining and quarrying89
- Water and waste77
- Wholesale and retail trade75
- Financial and insurance64
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing62
- Transportation and storage50
- Human health and social work39
- Construction27
- Information and communication27
- Accommodation and food service26
- Administrative and support24
- Arts and entertainment22
- Real estate17
- Professional, scientific and technical17
- Education12
- Other services9
Figures in per 1,000 active companies.
Medium plus large companies divided by active companies in each section, times 1,000. Sections with under 100 active companies are excluded.
Upper-tier firm density by industry section
| Industry section | Active companies | Medium | Large | Medium plus large | Per 1,000 active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 109,063 | 8,109 | 4,718 | 12,827 | 118 |
| Electricity and gas | 4,721 | 264 | 191 | 455 | 96 |
| Mining and quarrying | 2,540 | 170 | 55 | 225 | 89 |
| Water and waste | 3,007 | 182 | 49 | 231 | 77 |
| Wholesale and retail trade | 326,070 | 18,789 | 5,590 | 24,379 | 75 |
| Financial and insurance | 20,710 | 759 | 556 | 1,315 | 64 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 10,729 | 534 | 128 | 662 | 62 |
| Transportation and storage | 44,190 | 1,754 | 448 | 2,202 | 50 |
| Human health and social work | 12,778 | 318 | 178 | 496 | 39 |
| Construction | 120,488 | 2,712 | 562 | 3,274 | 27 |
| Information and communication | 29,027 | 592 | 196 | 788 | 27 |
| Accommodation and food service | 48,564 | 989 | 260 | 1,249 | 26 |
| Administrative and support | 57,034 | 1,116 | 240 | 1,356 | 24 |
| Arts and entertainment | 9,072 | 167 | 31 | 198 | 22 |
| Real estate | 93,390 | 1,207 | 386 | 1,593 | 17 |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 81,315 | 1,106 | 253 | 1,359 | 17 |
| Education | 8,018 | 78 | 18 | 96 | 12 |
| Other services | 12,642 | 95 | 16 | 111 | 9 |
Active, medium and large company counts and the rate per 1,000 active companies, as of 17 Jul 2026.
Why the ranking matters
Size band is the closest proxy the registry offers for who can hire at scale. A sector with many upper-tier firms per 1,000 has more employers that can run payroll, procurement and expansion plans. By that test manufacturing is the engine, with 12,827 medium and large companies. Real estate is the mirror image. It has 93,390 active companies. Only 1,593 sit in the upper tiers, a rate of 17.1. Construction has 120,488 active companies. Just 3,274 are upper-tier, a rate of 27.2. Both are crowded with micro and small firms, which pull the rate down. The surprise is wholesale and retail. It looks like a long tail of shops, yet 24,379 of its firms sit in the upper tiers, a rate of 74.8. Anyone sizing a market for B2B sales, banking or recruiting should count the upper tiers, not the registry total.
Definitions
- Active company
- A registered company that the registry marks as operating, as opposed to dormant or dissolved.
- Medium and large company
- A company placed in the registry medium or large size band, the two upper tiers above micro and small.
- Per 1,000 rate
- Upper-tier companies divided by active companies in a section, multiplied by 1,000.
- TSIC section
- One of the lettered top-level groups of the Thailand Standard Industrial Classification, based on the international ISIC.
Assumptions
- Size bands come from filed financial data, so firms without a filing may lack a band while still counting as active.
- Medium and large firms may include dormant ones in the numerator, which can overstate the rate.
- Small sections such as water and waste carry larger sampling swings than big ones.
- Size band is a proxy for employer scale, not a headcount.
Methodology
Source: Department of Business Development registry aggregates, as of 17 July 2026. Active companies are those the registry marks as operating. Medium and large counts are companies assigned to those size bands by the registry within each TSIC industry section. The rate is medium plus large divided by active, times 1,000. Because size bands are assigned from filed financial data, the numerator and denominator are not drawn from identical populations, so treat the rate as an indicator, not an exact share. Public administration, households and extraterritorial sections are excluded for tiny counts.
How we verified this
- Manufacturing: 8,109 medium plus 4,718 large equals 12,827. 12,827 divided by 109,063 active times 1,000 equals 117.6.
- Electricity and gas: 264 plus 191 equals 455. 455 divided by 4,721 times 1,000 equals 96.4.
- Real estate: 1,207 plus 386 equals 1,593. 1,593 divided by 93,390 times 1,000 equals 17.1.
- Financial and insurance: 759 plus 556 equals 1,315. 1,315 divided by 20,710 times 1,000 equals 63.5. Human health: 318 plus 178 equals 496, over 12,778 gives 38.8.
- National rate: 52,816 upper-tier companies across the 18 sections divided by 993,358 active equals 53.2. Manufacturing 117.6 divided by 53.2 equals 2.2.
- Wholesale and retail: 18,789 plus 5,590 equals 24,379, over 326,070 active gives 74.8. Construction: 2,712 plus 562 equals 3,274, over 120,488 gives 27.2.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons and size-band aggregates by TSIC section. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
Frequently asked questions
Which Thai industry has the most medium and large companies per 1,000 active companies?
Manufacturing, at 117.6 per 1,000, as of 17 July 2026 (DBD, 2026).
Do healthcare and finance rank at the top?
No. Finance is 63.5 and human health is 38.8 per 1,000, against a national rate of 53.2.
Which sectors have the fewest upper-tier firms per 1,000?
Other services at 8.8, education at 12.0 and professional services at 16.7, with real estate at 17.1.
Is this the same as headcount?
No. The registry gives size bands, not employee counts, so this is a proxy for employer scale.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Medium and Large Companies per 1,000 Active Firms by Industry 2026. Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/thai-industry-sections-medium-and-large-companies-per-1000-active-companies-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.