PUTRAJAYA, Nov 2 — Malaysia recorded 1.33 million active business establishments under the Economic Census 2026 (BE2026), an increase from 1.09 million in the previous 2023 census, reflecting continued growth in the country’s business landscape.
The Statistics Department (DOSM) said the preliminary findings showed that active establishments accounted for 99.3 per cent of the 1.34 million establishments enumerated during the census, which covered the reference year 2025.
“The services sector accounted for the largest share, with 1.17 million establishments, or 87.5 per cent of the total, followed by construction with 86,200 establishments, or 6.5 per cent, and manufacturing with 61,000 establishments, or 4.6 per cent,” it said in a statement today.
The department said agriculture accounted for 18,300 establishments, or 1.4 per cent, while mining and quarrying recorded 1,100 establishments, or 0.1 per cent.
It said within the services sector, wholesale and retail trade dominated with 39.5 per cent of total establishments, followed by food and beverage services at 14.2 per cent and personal services and other activities at 12.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, the financial services subsector recorded the highest annual growth rate in the number of establishments at 14.7 per cent, followed by accommodation at 14.5 per cent, food and beverage services at 6.6 per cent, administrative and support services at 6.1 per cent, professional services at 5.5 per cent and real estate at 5.1 per cent.
DOSM said Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor emerged as the country’s main business hubs, collectively accounting for 643,355 active establishments or 48.3 per cent of the national total.
In the manufacturing sector, food products accounted for the largest share of establishments at 19.3 per cent, followed by non-metallic mineral products, basic metals and fabricated metal products at 18.4 per cent.
“The electrical, electronic and optical products subsector recorded a growth of 3.1 per cent in the number of establishments compared to 2022, in line with the initiatives under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), which emphasised the development of high-growth, high-value (HGHV) industries as one of the country’s strategic focus areas,” it added.
According to the department, the construction sector recorded 86,000 active establishments in 2025, with specialised construction activities contributing the largest share at 34.4 per cent, followed by construction of non-residential buildings at 25.8 per cent and civil engineering at 22.6 per cent.
In agriculture, food crops accounted for 15.2 per cent of establishments, registering a 17 per cent growth, while ruminant and dairy livestock recorded a 19 per cent increase while aquaculture expanded by 8.3 per cent.
The census also shed light on Malaysia’s informal economy, identifying 93,597 informal establishments, including street vendors and mobile businesses, alongside 71,101 holiday home units.
DOSM said a three-week follow-up exercise kicked off yesterday and will last until November 20 to ensure comprehensive coverage and prevent economic establishments from being overlooked. It added that BE2026 findings would be published in April, following comprehensive data processing and analysis, and the preliminary figures are subject to review.
