Thailand vs Ireland, Belgium, Austria: Companies per 1,000 (2026)
In short
Thailand has 30.2 registered companies per 1,000 residents as of 17 July 2026. Only 15.1 of those are active. Belgium sits far above at 49.6 limited liability enterprises per 1,000. Ireland reaches 34.7. Austria trails at 13.9, below even Thailand's active count. Density depends heavily on how each country counts a company.
Where does Thailand sit against three small European economies?
Thailand lands in the middle of the pack on registered density and near the bottom on active density. The registry holds 1,989,709 companies as of 17 July 2026 (DBD, 2026). Spread across 65,809,011 registered residents, that is 30.2 companies per 1,000 people. Belgium counts 49.6 limited liability enterprises per 1,000 residents (Eurostat, 2026). Ireland counts 34.7. Austria counts just 13.9. So Thailand beats Austria, trails Ireland by about four companies per 1,000, and trails Belgium by nearly twenty. The picture changes once dormant companies are removed. Only 993,373 Thai companies are active, which is 15.1 per 1,000 residents. That is barely above Austria and less than a third of Belgium.
Companies per 1,000 residents
- Belgium50
- Ireland35
- Thailand registered30
- Thailand active15
- Austria14
Figures in companies per 1,000 residents.
Thai figures come from the DBD registry as of 17 July 2026. European figures are active limited liability enterprises in 2024 from Eurostat.
The density ladder in numbers
| Economy | Company measure | Companies | Residents | Per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Limited liability enterprises | 586,492 | 11,817,096 | 50 |
| Ireland | Limited liability enterprises | 185,446 | 5,351,681 | 35 |
| Thailand | Registered companies | 1,989,709 | 65,809,011 | 30 |
| Thailand | Active companies | 993,373 | 65,809,011 | 15 |
| Austria | Limited liability enterprises | 127,409 | 9,158,750 | 14 |
Companies, residents and companies per 1,000 residents. Thailand as of 17 Jul 2026, Europe in 2024.
Why this matters
A raw company count says little until you divide it by people. Belgium may look crowded because many small firms and professionals incorporate, so the legal form carries ordinary self-employment. Austria may look sparse because many small operators likely trade as sole proprietors and never enter a company count. Thailand's registry sits between those habits, but half of it is dormant. That is the number to watch. A reader who quotes 30.2 per 1,000 is describing paperwork. A reader who quotes 15.1 is describing firms still trading. Any league table of company density needs both numbers and a note on what each country counts. Without that, Thailand can be made to look either entrepreneurial or sluggish, and neither claim would survive a closer look.
Definitions
- Registered company
- Any company on file in the Thai registry, whether or not it still trades.
- Active company
- A registered company flagged as active in the registry. The rest are treated as dormant.
- Dormant
- A registered company that shows no sign of current trading activity.
- Limited liability enterprise
- The Eurostat legal form closest to a Thai registered company, covering corporations and similar limited companies.
- Density
- The number of companies divided by residents, expressed per 1,000 people.
Assumptions
- Thai and European counts use different definitions, so the gaps are indicative.
- The Thai population is the registered population at the end of 2025, while European populations are as of 1 January 2024.
- Eurostat figures cover industry sections B to S excluding public administration and membership organisations, so agriculture is left out.
- Registered residents in Thailand exclude some people living in the country without registration.
Methodology
Thai figures come from the Department of Business Development registry as of 17 July 2026. Registered means every juristic company on file, 1,989,709 in total. Active means companies flagged as active, 993,373 in total, summed across 5-digit industry codes. Residents are the registered population of 65,809,011 at 31 December 2025 reported by the Department of Provincial Administration. European figures are the Eurostat count of active limited liability enterprises in 2024 across the business economy, divided by the 1 January 2024 population. Thai and European definitions differ, so the comparison is indicative, not exact.
How we verified this
- Thai registered density recomputed: 1,989,709 divided by 65,809,011 residents times 1,000 equals 30.23.
- Thai active density recomputed: 993,373 divided by 65,809,011 times 1,000 equals 15.09.
- Active share recomputed: 993,373 divided by 1,989,709 equals 49.9 percent.
- Belgium recomputed: 586,492 divided by 11,817,096 times 1,000 equals 49.63.
- Ireland recomputed: 185,446 divided by 5,351,681 times 1,000 equals 34.65.
- Austria recomputed: 127,409 divided by 9,158,750 times 1,000 equals 13.91.
- Gap checks: Belgium minus Thailand registered equals 19.4. Ireland minus Thailand registered equals 4.4. Thailand active divided by Belgium equals 30 percent.
- Database check: market_national_insight total_entities is 1,989,709 and market_tsic_insight active_count sums to 993,373, matching the figures used here.
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 by legal form and NACE Rev. 2 activity, and Population on 1 January by age and sex. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd_l_form/default/table
- Department of Provincial Administration. (2026). Population of Thailand as of 31 December 2025. Ministry of Interior, Thailand. https://stat.bora.dopa.go.th/
Frequently asked questions
How many registered companies does Thailand have per 1,000 residents?
Thailand has 30.2 registered companies per 1,000 residents, from 1,989,709 companies and 65,809,011 residents as of 17 July 2026.
How many of those companies are active?
993,373 are active, which is 15.1 per 1,000 residents and 49.9 percent of the registry.
Which of the three European countries has the most companies per resident?
Belgium, with 49.6 active limited liability enterprises per 1,000 residents in 2024, ahead of Ireland at 34.7 and Austria at 13.9.
Is the comparison like for like?
Not exactly. Eurostat counts active limited liability enterprises, while the Thai registry includes dormant companies. The active Thai figure is the closer match.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Thailand vs Ireland, Belgium, Austria: Companies per 1,000 (2026). Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/thailand-vs-ireland-belgium-austria-registered-companies-per-1000-residents-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.