The ASEAN SME Policy Index 2018 assessment found that many ASEAN member states (AMS) struggle to produce official business statistics that are accurate, timely, accessible and comparable. The causes echo those in many OECD countries: statistical surveys and censuses can be very costly, and administrators may face low and skewed response rates. An accurate picture of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) can be particularly difficult to capture: this class of enterprises, due to a higher response burden and issues of trust, may be less likely to participate fully and accurately in surveys and censuses than larger enterprises. Many ASEAN countries are exploring the use of administrative data to supplement traditional methods of collection and compilation of business statistics, but face issues co-ordinating and exchanging
information, as well as promulgating common standards, among different government bodies.

This lack of reliable and timely data hinders domestic policymaking, but it can also hinder community-building at the regional level. The 2018 ASEAN SME Policy Index found significant differences of definition and calculation across AMS, and few countries currently compile statistics that can be regionally and internationally comparable. This lack of data presents a sizeable issue for the ASEAN Community to assess the progress of their strategic action plans accurately, and to formulate new, evidence-based action
plans in the future.