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6.2 Organizations Established for the Shared Benefit of Members

1) Cooperative
A cooperative is an organization formed by individuals with shared goals for the mutual benefit
of its members in economic, social, and cultural terms. Members jointly own and democratically
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manage the cooperative, operating on principles of democracy and equality . Cooperatives have
played a vital role in Thailand’s economic and social development for over a century. The
Cooperative Act, B.E. 2542 (1999), and its subsequent amendments define a “cooperative” as a

group of individuals who come together to carry out activities for the economic and social benefit
of Thai-national members through self-help and mutual assistance, and who are registered under
the law governing cooperatives. Cooperatives eligible for registration are classified into eight
categories: (1) agricultural cooperatives, (2) fisheries cooperatives, (3) settlement cooperatives,
(4) consumer cooperatives, (5) service cooperatives, (6) savings cooperatives, (7) credit union
cooperatives, and (8) other cooperatives as specified by ministerial regulations.

According to the Department of Cooperative Promotion, as of February 18, 2025, Thailand had a
total of 7,563 cooperatives, with 6,316 classified as active and 1,247 as non-active. Collectively,

these cooperatives represent over 11 million members 134 , with total assets of approximately 3.9
trillion baht and a total business value of about 2.3 trillion baht (see Table 6.4), accounting for
14.2% of the country’s gross domestic product. These figures underscore the significant scale and
importance of the cooperative sector within Thailand’s economy.

Table 6.4
Number and Business Volume of Cooperatives by Type Meeting the Standards of the Department of
Cooperative Promotion as of 2022
Type of Active Non-active Meeting Not Meeting Business Volume
Cooperative Standards Standards (Million Baht)
Agricultural 3,119 837 1,579 1,439 340,465
Savings 1,401 74 1,227 158 1,853,179
Service 1,015 226 343 603 17,446
Credit Union 578 34 365 183 45,235
Consumer 106 65 49 58 5,499
Settlement 84 7 39 43 15,587
Fisheries 67 25 28 36 1,881
Source: Department of Cooperative Promotion, 2024

133 International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), Cooperative Identity, Values & Principles. Source: https://www.ica.coop,
2021.
134 Department of Cooperative Promotion. Source: https://bigdata.cpd.go.th/#/ Ask ChatGPT

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