Thailand vs France New Business Creation Pace (2026)
In short
Thailand registered 128,617 new companies in 2025, as of 17 July 2026. France recorded 1,165,800 business creations in the same year. That headline gap of 9.1 to 1 is misleading. Only 301,300 French creations were companies, while 758,600 were micro entrepreneurs. Against French companies alone, Thailand's pace is 42.7 percent.
Is Thailand really creating nine times fewer businesses than France?
On the raw headline, yes. Thailand's registry shows 128,617 companies founded in 2025 (DBD, 2026). France counted 1,165,800 creations in the same year (Insee, 2026). Divide one by the other and Thailand looks like 11.0 percent of France. But the two numbers measure different things. France counts every person who opens a business, including sole traders who register as micro entrepreneurs. Thailand's figure counts registered juristic entities, the companies and partnerships on the DBD register. Small sole traders in Thailand mostly sit outside that register.
New businesses in 2025, Thailand and France by type
- France, all creations1,165,800
- France, micro entrepreneurs758,600
- France, companies301,300
- Thailand, registered companies128,617
- France, classic individual firms105,900
Figures in new businesses in 2025.
France total splits into micro entrepreneurs, companies and classic individual firms. The classic individual figure is the remainder after subtracting the other two, and it matches Insee's published 105,900.
What changes when you compare like with like
Strip out the sole traders and the picture tightens fast. France created 301,300 companies in 2025. Thailand registered 128,617. That puts Thailand at 42.7 percent of the French company pace, or one Thai company for every 2.3 French ones. Companies make up only 25.8 percent of French creations. Micro entrepreneurs make up 65.1 percent. So most of France's headline million is a different kind of business from the one Thailand's register counts. The honest reading is that France forms roughly two and a third times as many companies as Thailand, not nine times as many.
Thailand new company registrations by founding year
Figures in new companies.
2026 is a partial year and is left out. Counts are by founding year among entities on the register as of 17 July 2026.
Thailand and France side by side, 2025
| Measure | Thailand | France | Thailand as share of France |
|---|---|---|---|
| All new businesses | 128,617 | 1,165,800 | 11.0% |
| New companies only | 128,617 | 301,300 | 42.7% |
| Micro entrepreneurs | Not separately counted | 758,600 | Not comparable |
| Companies as share of creations | 100% by definition | 25.8% | Not comparable |
New business counts for 2025. Thai data from DBD as of 17 Jul 2026, French data from Insee.
The pace over time and why it matters
Thailand's pace has not been flat. Registrations rose from 89,719 in 2017 to a peak of 151,205 in 2021, then fell to 112,461 in 2023. They recovered to 121,657 in 2024. Then 2025 reached 128,617, a rise of 5.7 percent. France's company creations grew 6 percent in 2025 (Insee, 2026). So both are climbing at a similar rate from very different bases. This matters for anyone sizing a market or benchmarking entrepreneurship. Quote the French million next to the Thai hundred thousand and you will conclude Thailand is an entrepreneurial laggard. Quote the company figures and you get a gap that is real but far smaller. The bigger difference is structural. Thailand's company register does not capture a large layer of small sole traders. Any comparison that ignores that layer will understate how many people start businesses in Thailand.
Definitions
- Micro entrepreneur
- A French simplified sole trader regime with light paperwork and a flat tax on turnover. It creates a business without forming a company.
- Juristic person
- A legal entity registered with the DBD, such as a limited company or partnership. It is distinct from an individual trader.
- Founding year
- The calendar year in which a registered entity was established, taken from its registration record.
- Business creation
- Insee's count of all new businesses in a year, across companies, micro entrepreneurs and classic individual firms.
Assumptions
- Thai counts are by founding year among entities still on the register, so older years may be slightly understated.
- The 2026 Thai count of 110,866 is a partial year and is excluded from comparisons.
- The French company figure is the corporations line reported by Insee and may include legal forms that differ from Thai categories.
- French figures were taken from Insee's published 2025 summary and are not recomputed from its microdata.
Methodology
Thai figures come from the Department of Business Development registry, aggregated by founding year, as of 17 July 2026. A new company is a registered juristic entity whose founding year matches the year shown. Counts reflect entities still on the register, so earlier years may be slightly understated. French figures are Insee annual creation counts for 2025, taken from its published summary, Insee Première 2092. The classic individual firm figure is calculated as the total minus micro entrepreneurs minus companies. Thai and French definitions of a business differ, which is why the page shows both the all creations and the companies only comparison.
How we verified this
- Thailand share of all French creations: 128,617 divided by 1,165,800 equals 0.1103, or 11.0 percent.
- Headline ratio: 1,165,800 divided by 128,617 equals 9.06, or 9.1 to 1.
- Thailand share of French companies: 128,617 divided by 301,300 equals 0.4269, or 42.7 percent. Inverse 301,300 divided by 128,617 equals 2.34.
- French company share: 301,300 divided by 1,165,800 equals 25.8 percent. Micro share: 758,600 divided by 1,165,800 equals 65.1 percent.
- French classic individual firms: 1,165,800 minus 758,600 minus 301,300 equals 105,900, or 9.1 percent, matching Insee.
- Thai 2025 growth: 128,617 divided by 121,657 equals 1.057, a rise of 5.7 percent.
- Thai yearly counts 2017 to 2025 and the partial 2026 count of 110,866 match market_new_companies_insight, computed 17 July 2026.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons and financial statement aggregates. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
- Insee. (2026). Les créations d'entreprises en 2025. Insee Première, 2092. https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8721354
Frequently asked questions
How many new companies does Thailand register each year?
Thailand registered 128,617 companies founded in 2025, according to the DBD registry as of 17 July 2026. The 2021 peak was 151,205.
How many businesses does France create each year?
Insee counted 1,165,800 creations in 2025, of which 758,600 were micro entrepreneurs and 301,300 were companies.
Is the Thailand France comparison fair?
Only for companies. France's 1,165,800 includes sole traders, which Thailand's company register does not. On companies alone, Thailand is at 42.7 percent of France.
Are new registrations in Thailand growing?
Yes. Registrations rose 5.7 percent from 121,657 in 2024 to 128,617 in 2025, though they remain below the 2021 peak.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Thailand vs France New Business Creation Pace (2026). Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/thailand-vs-france-new-business-creation-pace-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.