Preliminary results from the 2026 National Economic Census reveal that Vietnam currently has nearly 6.3 million active economic establishments reporting business results.

The figure includes approximately 880,000 enterprises and cooperatives; 5.3 million individual business households; 52,200 religious and belief-based establishments; nearly 8,000 cooperative groups; and 82,500 administrative units, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and associations.

The information was revealed at a conference to review the 2026 Economic Census that was held in Hanoi on July 13 by the Ministry of Finance's National Statistics Office.

Speaking at the event, Finance Minister Ngo Van Tuan stated that the 2026 Economic Census is the largest of its kind to date. He emphasized that the findings reflect a clear trend of economic expansion and a structural shift between sectors, providing a vital foundation for macro-level management, administration, and policymaking.

The census highlights the enterprise sector as the primary driver of the national economy. As of December 31, 2025, out of more than 1.2 million surveyed enterprises nationwide, nearly 860,000 were active and productive. This represents an increase of over 2% compared to 2024 and nearly 26% compared to 2020. Notably, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) sector saw a significant 34% growth compared to 2020.

The non-state enterprise sector, which include domestic private enterprises, continues to lead in terms of quantity, with nearly 830,000 active units—up more than 2% from 2024 and over 25% from 2020. Meanwhile, the FDI sector recorded the highest growth rate, reaching nearly 30,000 enterprises, an 11% increase over 2024 and a 34% jump from 2020.

The enterprise bloc continues to solidify its role as the backbone of the economy. Despite accounting for only 13.7% of the total number of investigated units, enterprises attract 57.9% of the national workforce (equivalent to over 17.5 million people) and generated a total net revenue of VND45.3 quadrillion ($1.73 trillion) in 2025.

While the enterprise sector grows, the individual business household sector—though still the largest in terms of sheer volume (83.8% of all units)—saw a decline in its workforce. For the first time across census cycles, the number of laborers in this sector decreased by 1.1% compared to 2020.

Experts suggest this decline indicates a powerful restructuring process within the economy. Labor is increasingly shifting away from informal individual households toward the formal enterprise sector, which offers larger scales of operation and higher productivity.