Hanoi (VNA) – Thailand’s business activity is showing signs of gradual recovery, with 60,198 new businesses registered in the first eight months of 2026, up 1.7% from the same period last year, according to the Department of Business Development under the Ministry of Commerce.
The new businesses had combined registered capital of 181.66 billion THB (about 5.52 billion USD), down 6.53% year on year.
In August alone, 7,913 new businesses were registered, up 5.34% from July and 3.56% from August 2025. This marked the second consecutive month that new business registrations had increased year on year.
In August, construction led in the number of new registrations with 539 businesses, followed by restaurants with 435 and real estate businesses with 251.
The Department of Business Development said Thailand’s economy has been recovering gradually, partly supported by government measures to ease the cost-of-living burden, stimulate consumer spending and boost tourism towards the end of 2026.
However, business activity continues to face risks. Thailand recorded 11,420 business dissolutions in the first eight months, up 17.38% year on year, with combined registered capital of 112.668 billion THB, an increase of 78.74%.
The department said businesses should continue to monitor global economic developments, geopolitical conflicts and prolonged hostilities, which could affect energy and transport costs. Global inflation, baht exchange-rate fluctuations, slower private investment in some sectors and intensifying economic competition could also weigh on business activity in the remaining months of the year.
As of August 31, Thailand had more than 1 million active legal entities with total registered capital of 24.13 trillion THB. The service sector accounted for the largest share, with 552,830 entities, or 54.48%, followed by wholesale and retail with 332,791 entities (32.79%) and manufacturing with 129,215 (12.73%)./.
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