New business registrations slip in 2025, DBD says
Thailand recorded 85,251 new business registrations in 2025, down 2.68% year-on-year, as political and economic uncertainty weighed on sentiment, the Department of Business Development said. The agency is targeting 85,000–87,000 new registrations in 2026.
The Department of Business Development (DBD) at the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday that 5,187 new businesses were registered in December 2025, up 18.51% year-on-year, though registered capital fell 41.54% to 13.385 billion baht.
DBD director-general Poonpong Naynabhakorn said that for 2025 as a whole (January–December), Thailand recorded 85,251 new business registrations, down 2.68%, with cumulative registered capital of 264.237 billion baht, down 7.53%.
Uncertainty weighs on business sentiment
Poonpong said the decline in new registrations reflected political and economic uncertainty at home and abroad, including domestic political conditions, household debt, a global economic slowdown and tensions along the Thai–Cambodian border, all of which have affected the business sector.
Top new business categories in 2025
He said the three largest categories of newly registered businesses in 2025 were:
- other service activities supporting business (not classified elsewhere),
- hotels, resorts and serviced apartments/condominiums, and
- transport and cargo handling, including passenger transport.
Business closures: December and full-year figures
In December 2025, 6,112 businesses registered to close, up 0.77%, with closing registered capital of 17.797 billion baht, down 49.30%.
For 2025 as a whole, 22,783 businesses registered to close, down 3.78%, with closing registered capital totalling 106.594 billion baht, down 37.73%.
2026 target: 85,000–87,000 new registrations
Looking ahead, Poonpong said the DBD has set a target of 85,000–87,000 new business registrations in 2026, supported by expected economic stimulus measures after a new government is formed, tourism-boosting policies and a recovery in foreign arrivals.
Total juristic persons and sector breakdown
As of December 31, 2025, Thailand had 2,050,079 registered juristic persons with total registered capital of 31.88 trillion baht.
Of these, 967,210 were operating, with total registered capital of 23.42 trillion baht, comprising:
- Limited companies: 769,590 (79.57%), registered capital 17.37 trillion baht
- Limited partnerships and registered ordinary partnerships: 196,115 (20.28%), registered capital 0.43 trillion baht
- Public limited companies: 1,505 (0.15%), registered capital 5.62 trillion baht
Sectors with the most registrations
By sector, the services group accounted for the largest share, with 525,178 entities and registered capital of 13.69 trillion baht, followed by wholesale and retail trade (316,894 entities; 2.62 trillion baht) and manufacturing (125,138 entities; 7.11 trillion baht) — representing 54.30%, 32.76% and 12.94% of operating juristic persons, respectively.
