Who runs Thailand's companies — and where do Thais do business abroad?

Thailand's DBD company register records 89,494 companies with a foreign-national officer or owner, spanning 187 countries of origin.

The largest single foreign-origin group is China (18,834 companies, 24,727 people), followed by Japan, India, United Kingdom.

In Thailand — who runs the companies

The 43,955 of these companies that report financials post a combined ฿14.5 trillion in revenue (≈ US$413.6 billion), with a median company revenue of ฿1.5 million.

China 18,834 Japan 10,362 India 6,347 United Kingdom 6,266 United States 5,698 Singapore 5,458 Malaysia 4,966 France 4,836
OriginCompaniesPeopleCombined revenue
China18,83424,727฿2.0 trillion
Japan10,36222,550฿7.4 trillion
India6,3478,147฿722.2 billion
United Kingdom6,2667,089฿495.9 billion
United States5,6986,728฿788.1 billion
Singapore5,4586,738฿1.6 trillion
Malaysia4,9666,208฿905.7 billion
France4,8365,764฿443.8 billion

Revenue: combined reported turnover of companies in each origin group that file financials (43,955 of 89,494 foreign-owned companies report revenue). Financials are available for Thailand only (Creden / DBD statutory filings); other countries' pages show company and origin counts without turnover until comparable financial data is sourced.

Origin by industry

Company count per origin country and industry sector (top 8 origins × top 6 industries).

TradeProfessionalManufacturingRealFoodBusinessChina2109410661371295284Japan892367646192221158India92716719789144128United Kingdom2872661301989894United States49433123714612293Singapore64224419116485125Malaysia6311821811376956France25920111012912966

Thai business abroad

Beyond Thailand's own register, 8,145 companies abroad have a Thai-origin officer or owner — 1,418 from registries that record nationality directly, 392 with an officer whose recorded residence is Thailand, and 6,402 more identified by a name-based Thai-heritage classifier.

The largest host is France (2,036 companies, 1,744 people), followed by United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland.

recorded1,418 companies, 1,168 people — nationality recorded directly by the host registry.

residence392 companies, 297 people — the host registry records the officer's residence as Thailand (residence, not citizenship).

inferred6,402 companies, 6,520 people — Thai heritage estimated by a name-based classifier, not a registry fact.

France 2,036 United Kingdom 974 Norway 873 Switzerland 823 Myanmar 743 Germany 543 Belgium 431 United States 346
Host countryCompaniesPeople
France2,0361,744
United Kingdom9741,099
Norway873993
Switzerland823796
Myanmar7431,252
Germany543441
Belgium431445
United States346272

Frequently asked

How many foreign-owned companies are in Thailand?

As of this data pull, Thailand's DBD company register records 89,494 companies with at least one foreign-national officer or owner, across 187 countries of origin.

Which nationality owns the most companies in Thailand?

China nationals are recorded as officers or owners of 18,834 companies in Thailand's register — the largest single foreign-origin group in this data.

Is this recorded or estimated data?

Inbound is recorded data: Thailand's DBD register captures officer nationality directly, not a name-based estimate. Outbound mixes recorded nationality, recorded residence, and a name-based classifier tier — each labeled separately; see the methodology page for how recorded, residence, and inferred origin signals differ.

What is the combined revenue of foreign-owned companies in Thailand?

Of the foreign-owned companies covered here, 43,955 report financials, with a combined ฿14.5 trillion in revenue (approximately US$413.6 billion) and a median company revenue of ฿1.5 million. Financial figures come from Thailand's statutory filings (Creden / DBD statutory filings) and are available for Thailand only.

How many Thai nationals are officers or owners of companies abroad?

Across the registries covered here, 8,145 companies abroad have a Thai-origin officer or owner: 1,418 from registries recording nationality directly, 392 with an officer whose recorded residence is Thailand, plus 6,402 identified by a name-based Thai-heritage classifier.

Cite this page

"Thailand's DBD company register records 89,494 companies with a foreign-national officer or owner, spanning 187 countries of origin." — compatriots.net, https://compatriots.net/thailand

"Beyond Thailand's own register, 8,145 companies abroad have a Thai-origin officer or owner — 1,418 from registries that record nationality directly, 392 with an officer whose recorded residence is Thailand, and 6,402 more identified by a name-based Thai-heritage classifier." — compatriots.net, https://compatriots.net/thailand

Sources: Thailand DBD company register (recorded officer nationality) for the inbound figures; foreign company registries (recorded nationality and residence) plus a name-based Thai-heritage classifier for the outbound figures. See methodology & privacy for how recorded, residence, and inferred origin signals differ, and why officer identities are never published as full names.

See companies on the live site

Aggregate counts only — no officer names appear on this page. Full company detail and officer identities require joining or contacting us via the live site.