The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance on July 13 announced the preliminary results of the 2026 Economic Census at a conference in the capital city of Hanoi.
Speaking at the conference, Finance Minister Ngo Van Tuan described the 2026 Economic Census as the largest ever conducted in Vietnam.
As 2026 marks the first year of implementing the resolutions of the 14th National Party Congress and key development strategies adopted by the Politburo, the census provides an important statistical foundation for policymaking and socio-economic planning, he said.
The preliminary results cover enterprises and cooperatives, non-agricultural household businesses, cooperative groups, public administrative and non-business units, associations, non-governmental organizations, and religious establishments.
The census found that Vietnam had nearly 6.3 million active economic establishments with production and business activities, including enterprises, cooperatives and household businesses.
The enterprise sector remained a key driver of economic growth. As of December 31, 2025, data were collected from more than 1.2 million enterprises, of which nearly 860,000 were actively operating with business results. The number of active enterprises increased by more than 2 percent from 2024 and nearly 26 percent compared with 2020.
Private enterprises continued to dominate, accounting for nearly 830,000 active businesses, while foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises numbered nearly 30,000.
Business expansion also drove employment growth. The enterprise sector employed nearly 17.6 million workers in 2025, up nearly 8 percent from 2024 and almost 20 percent from 2020.
The average enterprise employed just over 20 workers, indicating that Vietnam's business landscape continues to be dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises.
State-owned enterprises had the largest average workforce, with 554 employees per enterprise, followed by FDI enterprises with 206 employees. Private enterprises averaged 12 employees each.
Total net revenue generated by the enterprise sector reached more than VND45 quadrillion (approximately US$1.72 trillion) in 2025, up 13 percent from 2024 and nearly 66 percent compared with 2020.
Private enterprises generated more than VND25 quadrillion (about US$955 billion) in net revenue, followed by FDI enterprises with nearly VND15 quadrillion (about US$573 billion), while state-owned enterprises contributed nearly VND5 quadrillion (about US$191 billion).
