Which Industries Have the Most Companies in Thailand? (2026)
In short
Wholesale and retail trade is by far Thailand's largest industry, with 715,976 registered companies, or 36 percent of all classified firms as of 2 July 2026. Construction ranks second with 283,534 and manufacturing third with 230,396. Those three sectors hold 61.9 percent of the country's companies between them.
Which industry has the most companies?
Thailand classifies companies by industry section using the standard TSIC framework. Wholesale and retail trade leads every other sector with 715,976 registered companies (DBD, 2026), which is 36 percent of all classified firms. Construction is second with 283,534 and manufacturing third with 230,396. Real estate and professional services round out the top five. The long tail of smaller sectors, from mining to education, each holds well under one percent.
Registered companies by industry section
- Wholesale and retail trade715,976
- Construction283,534
- Manufacturing230,396
- Real estate149,608
- Professional, scientific and technical138,962
- Administrative and support100,691
- Transportation and storage85,273
- Accommodation and food service83,598
- Information and communication52,537
- Financial and insurance35,567
- Human health and social work17,294
- Education13,897
- Mining and quarrying8,231
- Electricity and gas7,833
Figures in companies.
Trade, construction and manufacturing form the base of the Thai company population.
Industries ranked by company count
| Industry section | Code | Companies | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale and retail trade | G | 715,976 | 36% |
| Construction | F | 283,534 | 14.3% |
| Manufacturing | C | 230,396 | 11.6% |
| Real estate | L | 149,608 | 7.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | M | 138,962 | 7% |
| Administrative and support | N | 100,691 | 5.1% |
| Transportation and storage | H | 85,273 | 4.3% |
| Accommodation and food service | I | 83,598 | 4.2% |
| Information and communication | J | 52,537 | 2.6% |
| Financial and insurance | K | 35,567 | 1.8% |
| Human health and social work | Q | 17,294 | 0.9% |
| Education | P | 13,897 | 0.7% |
| Mining and quarrying | B | 8,231 | 0.4% |
| Electricity and gas | D | 7,833 | 0.4% |
Company count and share by TSIC section, as of 2 Jul 2026.
What the ranking tells you
A count of companies is not the same as a measure of economic weight. Wholesale and retail leads on sheer number because the barrier to registering a trading company is low, yet many of these firms are tiny. Manufacturing sits third on count but carries a far larger share of national revenue, a gap explored in our manufacturing insight. Read this table as a map of where business owners choose to incorporate, not as a ranking of which sectors earn the most.
Definitions
- TSIC section
- The top level of the Thailand Standard Industrial Classification, a lettered grouping such as C for manufacturing or G for wholesale and retail trade.
- Classified firm
- A registered company that carries an assigned industry section based on its declared primary activity.
Assumptions
- Each company is counted once, under its primary declared activity.
- A small number of companies without an assigned section are excluded from the classified total.
Methodology
Each registered company is assigned to one TSIC industry section based on its primary declared activity. Counts are drawn from the DBD registry as of 2 July 2026 and cover the 1,986,489 companies that carry a classified activity. Shares are computed against that classified total rather than the full national count, since a small number of companies have no assigned section.
How we verified this
- Wholesale and retail share recomputed as 715,976 divided by 1,986,489, equal to 36 percent.
- Top three sections summed to 1,229,906, or 61.9 percent of classified firms.
- Sections were confirmed ranked in descending order of company count.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons and financial statement aggregates. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
Frequently asked questions
Which industry has the most companies in Thailand?
Wholesale and retail trade, with 715,976 registered companies, about 36 percent of all classified firms.
What are the three largest industries by company count?
Wholesale and retail trade, construction, and manufacturing, in that order.
Does the largest sector by count also earn the most?
No. Wholesale and retail leads on company count but runs a very thin profit margin. Manufacturing and finance carry more revenue and profit per firm.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Which Industries Have the Most Companies in Thailand? (2026). Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/which-industries-have-the-most-companies-in-thailand-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.
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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.