Market Research Companies in Malaysia

Key figures for researchers

Population

34.2 million (2025 estimate)¹

Citizens / non-citizens

90.1% / 9.9% (2025)¹

Urban population

75.1% (2020 census)²

Citizens by ethnic group

Bumiputera 70.5%, Chinese 22.2%, Indian 6.5%, others 0.8% (2025)¹

Under 15 / 65 and over

21.6% / 8.0% (2025)¹

Most populous states

Selangor 7.4 million, Johor 4.2 million, Sabah 3.8 million (2025)¹

Languages

Malay (official), English, Mandarin, Tamil³

Internet users

98% of individuals (2024)⁴

Mobile subscriptions

140 per 100 people (2024)⁵

GDP per capita

about US$13,100 (2025)⁶

Research guide

Research landscape

Most market research agencies are based in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley, in a region where Selangor (7.4 million people) and Kuala Lumpur (2.1 million) concentrate a large share of consumers and head offices. Local independent agencies work alongside offices of international research networks, and many also run fieldwork in neighbouring Southeast Asian countries.

Languages and fieldwork

Malay is the official and national language, while English remains dominant in trade and industry, and Mandarin and Tamil are widely used within the Chinese and Indian communities. General public questionnaires are usually prepared in Malay, English and Chinese, with a Tamil version when Indian respondents are interviewed; B2B and executive interviews are mostly conducted in English. Matching interviewers to the respondent’s language and community generally improves cooperation.

Ethnicity is a standard quota variable: among citizens, 70.5% are Bumiputera (Malays and indigenous groups), 22.2% Chinese and 6.5% Indian, with different distributions by state and between cities and rural areas. A national sample must also decide whether to include non-citizens (9.9% of the population) and cover Sabah (3.8 million) and Sarawak (2.5 million) on Borneo, which have their own indigenous communities and languages and are often left out of “Peninsular only” samples.

Which methods work

Connectivity is very high: 98% of individuals use the internet and there are about 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people. Online surveys and telephone interviews (CATI) work well for most urban targets and for B2B, and online panels are widely used in the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor.

For older people, rural areas and East Malaysia, face-to-face interviews (CAPI) remain useful, with quotas by state, area type, ethnicity, age and gender. Online panels can under-represent some groups: ask the agency how the panel is recruited and weighted by ethnicity and region. Focus groups are usually held in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley, often split by language or community.

Timing

Malaysia celebrates the festivals of each community, and fieldwork slows around them: Chinese New Year (January or February), Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hari Raya Haji and Deepavali (October or November), plus Gawai in Sarawak and Kaamatan in Sabah (late May to early June). Exact dates vary each year. In 2027, Chinese New Year and the start of Ramadan both fall in early February, and Hari Raya Aidilfitri is expected in March.

During Ramadan, routines change for Muslim respondents and evening fieldwork is common; consumption patterns before each festival are a research topic in themselves. Many people travel back to their home towns for the main festivals, so avoid the week around them for fieldwork and B2B interviews.

Data protection

Personal data processed in commercial transactions is governed by the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA), supervised by the Personal Data Protection Commissioner. Processing generally requires the respondent’s consent and a written notice explaining the purpose; sensitive data (such as health, religious beliefs or political opinions) requires explicit consent. Some sectors must register with the Commissioner.

The 2024 amendments, in force in stages from January to June 2025, add biometric data to sensitive data, make data processors directly liable for security, require a Data Protection Officer above certain volumes, introduce breach notification to the Commissioner (within 72 hours where significant harm is likely), replace the old “whitelist” with a risk-based regime for transfers abroad and raise the maximum fine to RM1 million. Ask your agency how consent is collected and how data will be transferred to you.

Working with a local agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, states (Peninsular and/or Sabah and Sarawak), method, languages and deadline.
• Agree on ethnic, regional and citizenship quotas before fieldwork starts.
• Ask who does the fieldwork: own interviewers or subcontractors, in which states, and in which languages.
• Ask about quality control: back-checks, GPS or audio checks for face-to-face interviews, supervision of CATI calls, panel data cleaning.
• Check PDPA compliance: consent wording, data security and cross-border transfer of data.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 companies from this page.