PUTRAJAYA, April 30 (Bernama) — A total of 219,015 active women-owned establishments were recorded in Malaysia in 2022, representing 20.1 per cent of the total registered establishments in the country’s economy, according to the Women-Owned Statistics based on the Economic Census 2023 released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) today.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the number of women-owned establishments operating in 2022 shows an annual growth rate of 2.3 per cent as compared to the 2015 census, with 187,265 establishments.
He said 93.6 per cent or 205,012 establishments were concentrated in the services sector, followed by the manufacturing sector with 8,469 establishments, and the construction sector with 3,869 establishments.
“Findings by subsector showed that more than 70 per cent of the women-owned establishments were involved in the wholesale and retail trade subsector with 45 per cent and the food and beverage subsector with 31.1 per cent,” he said in a statement.
Selangor remained the top state with the highest number of women-owned establishments in 2022, contributing 15.9 per cent of the total, followed by Sabah (22,740 establishments), Kelantan with 21,079 establishments, Kuala Lumpur with 20,237 establishments, and Johor with 19,495 establishments.
“These five states accounted for more than half of the total women-owned establishments in Malaysia,” he said.
Mohd Uzir said the value of gross output generated by women-owned establishments amounted to RM136.9 billion in 2022, contributing 3.6 per cent to the overall economic sector in Malaysia with the services sector generated the highest gross output value with RM83 billion or 60.7 per cent share while the wholesale and retail trade subsector was the catalyst which contributed 37.7 per cent or RM31.3 billion.
“In line with the increase of gross output, the total value added for women-owned establishments grew 6.5 per cent annually, increased by RM21.8 billion to record RM61.4 billion in 2022 from RM39.6 billion in 2015.
“The main contributor to the value added was the services sector, registering 72.2 per cent or RM44.4 billion with an annual growth rate of 5.7 per cent. Meanwhile, the manufacturing and agriculture sectors contributed RM10.5 billion and RM5 billion respectively,” he said.
The value of fixed assets for women-owned establishments showed an increase of 5.6 per cent annually from RM37.9 billion in 2015 to RM55.4 billion in 2022, mainly influenced by the services sector which recorded RM41.3 billion in 2022 from RM22.8 billion in 2015, while manufacturing sector with a value of fixed assets of RM7.6 billion and agriculture sector registered RM5.9 billion.
Mohd Uzir said there were 185,582 women-owned small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) establishments in 2022, representing 17.0 per cent of the total establishments in Malaysia, where 171,800 establishments were involved in the services sector followed by 8,359 establishments in the manufacturing sector.
He said the women-owned SMEs generated a gross output of RM89.3 billion and a value added of RM44.3 billion, which increased by 3.7 per cent and 4.1 per cent respectively each year.
Additionally, he said women-owned establishments employed 833,311 persons, with an annual growth rate of 0.9 per cent, while in terms of salaries and wages and fixed asset values, they recorded RM16.2 billion and RM39.7 billion, with annual growth rates of 4.5 per cent and 3.4 per cent, respectively.
“The increasing presence of women in the entrepreneurial ecosystem reflects Malaysia’s ongoing commitment to gender inclusivity and empowerment.
“These statistics serve not only as a testament to the strength and capabilities of women entrepreneurs, but also as a vital input for policymakers, researchers, and industry players in formulating informed strategies to support and accelerate women’s economic participation,” he added.
— BERNAMA