Malaysia Records 1.37 Million Informal Entrepreneurs, Women-Led MSMEs on the Rise – Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 – Malaysia recorded 1.37 million informal entrepreneurs in 2023, comprising self-employed individuals and employers, as the country’s micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector continues to expand, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said on Thursday.

Citing the 2023 Economic Census, Ewon said 219,015 women-owned enterprises were registered, of which 185,582 fell under the MSME category.

Data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia for 2024 showed there were 1.09 million MSMEs nationwide, including 761,897 microenterprises, 306,764 small businesses and 17,725 medium-sized companies.

“As of July 31, 2025, a total of 417 million e-invoices have been issued by 84,000 taxpayers, including MSME entrepreneurs,” Ewon told parliament, responding to a question from Sungai Besar lawmaker Datuk Muslimin Yahaya.

He said the ministry projected that only 4.0% of MSMEs in the manufacturing and services sectors would be involved in e-invoicing after mandatory compliance began on July 1, 2025.

Ewon added that the ministry, through agencies such as SME Corp and the National Institute of Entrepreneurship (INSKEN), would continue awareness and training programmes to boost MSME readiness for e-invoicing adoption.