New Thai Companies per 1,000 Residents by Year, 2007 to 2025
In short
Thailand registered 2.11 new companies per 1,000 residents in 2021, the peak of the series. In 2007 the rate was 0.45. The 2021 count of 151,205 was a real surge, because population grew only 6.9 percent over the same years. By 2025 the rate was 1.80, which is 85 percent of the peak. Formation has settled on a much higher floor than before 2017.
Was the 2021 peak a real surge once population is counted?
Yes. Thailand registered 151,205 new companies in 2021 (DBD, 2026). Spread across 71.73 million residents, that is 2.11 new companies per 1,000 people. The 2007 rate was 0.45. Raw counts rose 5.0 times between those years. Population rose only 6.9 percent. So almost none of the surge comes from having more people. It comes from a far higher share of residents starting companies, or from existing businesses choosing to incorporate. The jump arrived in steps. The rate first passed 1.0 in 2016, reached 1.46 in 2018, and then leapt from 1.71 in 2020 to 2.11 in 2021. The next year it fell back to 1.67, a drop of 20.7 percent.
New companies per 1,000 residents, 2007 to 2025
Figures in new companies per 1,000 residents.
The 2021 spike stands out, but the 2023 low of 1.57 is still more than three times the 2007 level.
Registrations, population and rate by year
| Year | New companies | Population | Per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 30,227 | 67,102,394 | 0.45 |
| 2008 | 33,093 | 67,619,830 | 0.49 |
| 2009 | 35,371 | 68,121,080 | 0.52 |
| 2010 | 41,404 | 68,579,447 | 0.60 |
| 2011 | 45,389 | 69,007,208 | 0.66 |
| 2012 | 49,466 | 69,436,098 | 0.71 |
| 2013 | 60,270 | 69,845,114 | 0.86 |
| 2014 | 63,417 | 70,216,367 | 0.90 |
| 2015 | 68,500 | 70,540,795 | 0.97 |
| 2016 | 73,163 | 70,859,841 | 1.03 |
| 2017 | 89,719 | 71,160,187 | 1.26 |
| 2018 | 104,273 | 71,376,079 | 1.46 |
| 2019 | 111,284 | 71,522,271 | 1.56 |
| 2020 | 122,427 | 71,641,484 | 1.71 |
| 2021 | 151,205 | 71,727,332 | 2.11 |
| 2022 | 119,923 | 71,735,329 | 1.67 |
| 2023 | 112,461 | 71,702,435 | 1.57 |
| 2024 | 121,657 | 71,668,011 | 1.70 |
| 2025 | 128,617 | 71,619,863 | 1.80 |
New registrations by founding year from the DBD registry as of 17 Jul 2026, and World Bank mid-year population.
Why this matters
A raw count flatters a growing economy. A per-capita rate removes the easy explanation and leaves the real one. Thailand's population is almost flat, so every extra company comes from behaviour, not headcount. The rate since 2022 has held between 1.57 and 1.80, well above anything seen before 2019. That tells a supplier, lender or landlord that the pool of new counterparties is permanently larger than a decade ago. It also means more young firms to vet. The rate has climbed back for two years in a row, from 1.57 in 2023 to 1.80 in 2025. Whether it retakes 2.11 is the number to watch. One caution applies. Registration is not survival, and a birth rate says nothing about how many of these firms trade for long.
Definitions
- Formation rate
- New companies registered in a year divided by population, shown per 1,000 residents.
- Founding year
- The calendar year in which a company was registered, in the Gregorian calendar.
- Per capita
- Adjusted for the number of people, so years with different populations can be compared.
Assumptions
- Population is a World Bank estimate and may be revised.
- Counts include only companies still present in the registry, so earlier cohorts may be understated.
- The formation rate counts registrations, not trading businesses, and says nothing about survival.
- Per capita uses all residents, not only adults of working age.
Methodology
New company counts come from the Department of Business Development registry, grouped by the calendar year of founding, as of 17 July 2026. Each count is the number of registered companies whose founding year matches. Population is the World Bank total population estimate, published July 2026, which the rate divides into the count and multiplies by 1,000. The year 2026 is excluded because it is incomplete. The rate is rounded to two decimals. Founding year counts only companies still present in the registry, so older cohorts may be slightly understated.
How we verified this
- 2021 rate recomputed: 151,205 divided by 71,727,332 times 1,000 equals 2.108, shown as 2.11.
- 2007 rate recomputed: 30,227 divided by 67,102,394 times 1,000 equals 0.450.
- Count growth recomputed: 151,205 divided by 30,227 equals 5.00 times.
- Population growth 2007 to 2021 recomputed: 71,727,332 divided by 67,102,394 equals 1.069, or 6.9 percent.
- Population growth 2007 to 2025 recomputed: 71,619,863 divided by 67,102,394 equals 1.067, or 6.7 percent.
- 2022 drop recomputed: 1.672 divided by 2.108 equals 0.793, so a fall of 20.7 percent.
- 2025 share of peak recomputed: 1.796 divided by 2.108 equals 0.852, or 85 percent.
- Every yearly rate in the table was recomputed from its own count and population row.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons by founding year. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
- World Bank. (2026). Population, total: Thailand (SP.POP.TOTL) [Data set]. World Development Indicators. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=TH
Frequently asked questions
What was Thailand's company formation rate in 2021?
It was 2.11 new companies per 1,000 residents, from 151,205 registrations and a population of 71.73 million.
How does the 2025 rate compare with 2007?
The 2025 rate of 1.80 is about four times the 2007 rate of 0.45.
Did population growth explain the rise?
No. Population grew 6.7 percent from 2007 to 2025, while the yearly count of new companies rose 4.3 times.
Why is 2026 not shown?
The 2026 year was still in progress when the data was pulled, so its count is incomplete.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). New Thai Companies per 1,000 Residents by Year, 2007 to 2025. Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/thailand-new-company-formation-per-1000-residents-by-year-2007-2025
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.