Thailand's Company Birth Rate vs Lithuania, Austria and the EU 2026
In short
Thailand's 2025 birth rate is 12.95 percent, measured as 128,617 new companies against 993,373 active ones as of 17 July 2026. That beats the EU average of 10.5 percent. It trails Lithuania at 19.6 percent. It is about double Austria at 6.2 percent. Thailand lands almost exactly midway between the two extremes.
Where does Thailand sit on the birth-rate ladder?
Thailand sits above the middle. The registry shows 128,617 companies founded in 2025 (DBD, 2026). Set against the 993,373 companies flagged active, that is a birth rate of 12.95 percent. The EU average is 10.5 percent, so Thailand runs 2.45 points hotter. Lithuania, at 19.6 percent, replaces about one in five of its active companies every year. Austria, at 6.2 percent, replaces about one in sixteen. Thailand is 1.23 times the EU average. It is 2.09 times Austria. It is 0.66 of Lithuania. That is a churner's profile, though not the extreme one.
New-company birth rate, Thailand against Europe
- Lithuania20
- Thailand, 202513
- EU average11
- Austria6
Figures in percent of active companies.
Thailand is the 2025 registry ratio. The European figures are Eurostat benchmarks. Definitions differ slightly, see the caveats below.
Thailand's birth rate by founding year
| Founding year | New companies | Rate vs active register | Rate vs all registered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 151,205 | 15.22% | 7.60% |
| 2022 | 119,923 | 12.07% | 6.03% |
| 2023 | 112,461 | 11.32% | 5.65% |
| 2024 | 121,657 | 12.25% | 6.11% |
| 2025 | 128,617 | 12.95% | 6.46% |
| 2026, partial | 110,866 | 11.16% | 5.57% |
New companies by founding year divided by 993,373 active companies, as of 17 Jul 2026. The 2026 year is partial.
The denominator decides the answer
Thailand's rate depends on what you divide by. Use all 1,989,709 registered companies and the 2025 rate drops to 6.46 percent. That would put Thailand beside Austria. Use only the 993,373 active companies, as Eurostat does for its active population, and the rate is 12.95 percent. The honest comparison is the second one. The active count is a registry flag, so it is a proxy for the enterprise population Eurostat counts. Half the Thai register is dormant, which means the stable-looking 6.46 percent is an illusion created by a bloated base.
Why this matters
A high birth rate is not automatically a sign of health. In Lithuania it signals a register that turns over fast. In Thailand it also signals a register where dormant shells pile up next to a small live core. Investors and suppliers reading Thai registrations should watch the active base, not the headline count. The 2021 peak of 15.22 percent has cooled to 12.95 percent, and it has not fallen toward the Austrian 6.2 percent. Thailand keeps adding companies faster than mature European registers do. The question worth asking is how many of them are still active five years on.
Definitions
- Birth rate
- New companies founded in a year as a percent of the active company population.
- Active company
- A company flagged active in the DBD registry. Roughly half of registered companies carry this flag.
- Dormant
- A registered company that is not flagged active.
- Churn
- The pace at which companies enter and leave a register.
Assumptions
- Eurostat's population counts active enterprises, while the Thai denominator is a registry active flag.
- The European benchmark years are as supplied and may differ from 2025.
- Companies founded in a year may not all appear as active, so the ratio is approximate.
- The 2026 founding year is incomplete.
Methodology
The Thai birth rate is the number of companies with a founding year of 2025, from the DBD registry as of 17 July 2026, divided by the 993,373 companies flagged active in the same registry. The alternative denominator is all 1,989,709 registered companies. The founding year is Gregorian. The 2026 year is partial and is shown for context only. The Lithuania, Austria and EU figures are Eurostat business demography birth rates as supplied in the brief and were not recomputed. Thai active status is a registry flag, not Eurostat's employer-enterprise concept, so the comparison is indicative.
How we verified this
- 128,617 divided by 993,373 equals 12.947 percent, shown as 12.95 percent.
- 128,617 divided by 1,989,709 equals 6.464 percent, shown as 6.46 percent.
- Sum of active_count across TSIC codes is 993,373, matching the national active anchor.
- 12.95 minus 10.5 equals 2.45 points. 12.95 over 10.5 is 1.23. 12.95 over 6.2 is 2.09. 12.95 over 19.6 is 0.66.
- Yearly rates recomputed: 2021 151,205 gives 15.22 percent, 2022 119,923 gives 12.07, 2023 112,461 gives 11.32, 2024 121,657 gives 12.25, 2026 110,866 gives 11.16.
- Active share of registered is 993,373 over 1,989,709, or 49.9 percent.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons and financial statement aggregates. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
- Eurostat. (2026). Business demography statistics. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Business_demography_statistics
Frequently asked questions
What is Thailand's new-company birth rate?
It is 12.95 percent for 2025, from 128,617 new companies against 993,373 active companies in the DBD registry as of 17 July 2026.
Is Thailand's birth rate higher than the EU average?
Yes. The EU average is 10.5 percent, so Thailand is 2.45 points above it.
Why is the rate 6.46 percent on some measures?
That figure divides by all 1,989,709 registered companies, including dormant ones. It is not comparable with Eurostat's active-population rate.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Thailand's Company Birth Rate vs Lithuania, Austria and the EU 2026. Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/thailand-vs-europe-company-birth-rate-ladder-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.
Related insights
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.