Results for Manufacturing Industries of the 2021 Economic Census for Business Activity (Summary Report) Compiled

1. Results for manufacturing industries from the Economic Census for Business Activity

The results for manufacturing industries are an aggregate of the results of the 2021 Economic Census for Business Activity concerning manufacturing establishments.

Reference: Outline of the Economic Census for Business Activity

• The Economic Census for Business Activity is a survey of all establishments and businesses in Japan conducted with the aim of clarifying both nationwide and region-by-region the situation of economic activity in Japan as a whole. This year marks its third time (the first and second having been in 2014 and 2016, respectively).
• The preliminary report on all industries was already released on May 31, 2022.

2. Summary of the survey results (establishments with four or more employees)

(1) Numbers of establishments and employees

As of June 1, 2021, there were 176,858 manufacturing establishments and 7,465,556 employees.
Looking at the number of manufacturing establishments by broadly classified industry, "metal products manufacturing" had the highest percentage at 13.6% of total manufacturing industries, followed by "food manufacturing" at 12.2% and "production machinery/equipment manufacturing" at 10.3%. Looking at the number of employees by broadly classified industry, however, "food manufacturing" accounted for the largest proportion at 14.7% of the total, followed by "transportation machinery/equipment manufacturing" at 13.6%, and "production machinery/equipment manufacturing" at 8.1%.

(2) Value of manufactured goods shipped and value added

The value of manufactured goods shipped from manufacturing establishments in 2020 was 302.0033 trillion yen, and the value of the value added was 96.8255 trillion yen.
Of this, breaking down the value of manufactured goods shipped by broadly classified industry, "transportation machinery/equipment manufacturing" accounted for the largest proportion at 19.9% of total manufacturing industries, followed by "food manufacturing" at 9.8%, and the "chemical industry" at 9.5%. Meanwhile, breaking down the value added by broadly classified industry, "transportation machinery/equipment manufacturing" accounted for the largest share at 14.8% of total manufacturing industries, followed by the "chemical industry" at 11.9% and "food manufacturing" at 10.6%.

3. Plans for future releases

METI plans to release more detailed aggregated results in December 2022, including further breakdowns by industry type (546 subclassifications), and ones by item (approximately 1,800 items), prefecture, and municipality. Starting in December 2022, METI plans to sequentially release detailed aggregated results for each industry (e.g., "mining and quarrying of stone and gravel" and "wholesale and retail"), including breakdowns by industry type (approximately 1,500 subclassifications) and region for sales, numbers of employees, and industry-specific characteristics (e.g., "sales floor area" for "wholesale and retail").

4. Information on the census website

The summary of results and statistical tables (Excel format) presenting the results of the survey and future release schedule can be downloaded from this website .

Related materials

• Economic Census for Business Activity: Manufacturing Industries (Summary Report)—Summary of the Results (in Japanese)(PDF:412KB)

Division in Charge

Structural Statistics Office, Research and Statistics Department, Minister's Secretariat