Bangkok: In the first half of 2025, business registration trends in Thailand presented a mixed picture. While the number of new businesses registered saw a slight decline compared to the previous year, the total registered capital showed a modest increase.
According to Thai News Agency, the Department of Business Development under the Ministry of Commerce revealed that 43,838 new businesses were registered between January and June 2025, marking a decrease of 2,545 establishments or a 5.49% drop from the same period in 2024. Despite this decline in the number of new establishments, the registered capital increased by 2.80%, reaching 149,140 million baht.
The top three sectors in terms of new business establishments included general building construction with 3,490 registrations, real estate with 2,870 registrations, and restaurants/food shops with 1,832 registrations. These sectors accounted for 7.96%, 6.55%, and 4.18% of all new business registrations respectively in the first half of 2025.
Conversely, the first half of 2025 also saw a slight increase in business closures, with 6,244 registrations, an uptick of 205 closures or 3.39% compared to the same period in 2024. However, the accumulated registered capital for closures decreased significantly by 60.20%, totaling 30,544 million baht. The general building construction, real estate, and restaurants/food shops sectors also topped the closure list with 547, 316, and 276 closures respectively.
The ratio of business establishments to closures remained steady at 7:1, consistent with the average ratio over the past five years from 2020 to 2024.
Foreign investment in Thailand during the first half of 2025 also experienced growth under the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542. A total of 502 foreign investment cases were recorded, reflecting a 30% increase from the same period in 2024. The investment value rose by 37% to 111,506 million baht. Japan, the United States, China, Singapore, and Hong Kong emerged as the top five foreign investors in Thailand.
Notably, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) remained a strong magnet for foreign investors, attracting 31% of them. The EEC saw an increase of 36% in foreign investment cases and accounted for 56% of the total foreign investment value, amounting to 62,851 million baht.