Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic and Toiletry Goods Retailing: ABS business counts
ANZSIC class 4271, in the Retail Trade division.
- Actively trading businesses in Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic and Toiletry Goods Retailing (ANZSIC class 4271) across Australia, June 2025
- 8,990 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025.
- Actively trading non-employing businesses in Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic and Toiletry Goods Retailing (ANZSIC class 4271) across Australia, June 2025
- 2,818 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025.
- ABS business entries in Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic and Toiletry Goods Retailing (ANZSIC class 4271) across Australia: counted at June 2025 but not June 2024
- 970 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, 2024-25.
- ABS business exits in Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic and Toiletry Goods Retailing (ANZSIC class 4271) across Australia: counted at June 2024 but not June 2025
- 811 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, 2024-25.
About these figures
- These ABS figures count actively trading businesses, not workers, sites or venues, each in its main state or territory.
- Entries and exits compare two 30 June counts. They are not counts of openings and closures.
- The ABS adjusts its counts slightly to protect confidentiality, so a small number or a zero is approximate, not proof that no such business exists.
Summary of the ABS class definition
In this class, the ABS counts businesses mainly engaged in retailing prescription drugs or patent medicines, cosmetics or toiletries.
Examples the ABS lists:
- Cosmetic retailing
- Drug retailing
- Patent medicine retailing
- Perfume retailing
- Pharmacy, retail, operation
- Prescription, medicine, dispensing
- Toiletry retailing
The ABS page for class 4271 gives the full definition and what the class leaves out.
By employment size
| Businesses | Count |
|---|---|
| All businesses | 8,990 businesses |
| Non-employing | 2,818 businesses |
| 1 to 4 employees | 1,702 businesses |
| 5 to 19 employees | 3,188 businesses |
| 20 to 199 employees | 1,266 businesses |
| 200 or more employees | 16 businesses |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
By turnover
| Businesses | Count |
|---|---|
| Zero to less than $50k | 1,163 businesses |
| $50k to less than $200k | 972 businesses |
| $200k to less than $2m | 2,423 businesses |
| $2m to less than $5m | 2,286 businesses |
| $5m to less than $10m | 1,322 businesses |
| $10m or more | 824 businesses |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 3, June 2025. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
Entries and exits, 2024-25
| Businesses | Count |
|---|---|
| At the start of the year | 8,831 businesses |
| ABS business entries | 970 businesses |
| ABS business exits | 811 businesses |
| At the end of the year | 8,990 businesses |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, 2024-25. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
By main state or territory
| Businesses | Count |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | 3,102 businesses |
| Victoria | 2,128 businesses |
| Queensland | 1,830 businesses |
| Western Australia | 965 businesses |
| South Australia | 641 businesses |
| Tasmania | 174 businesses |
| Australian Capital Territory | 110 businesses |
| Northern Territory | 33 businesses |
| Other Territories or Currently Unknown | 7 businesses |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Sources
Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2: Businesses by main state by industry class by employment size ranges (8165DC02.xlsx). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 16 December 2025, checked 15 October 2026.
Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 3: Businesses by main state by industry class by turnover size ranges (8165DC03.xlsx). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 16 December 2025, checked 16 October 2026.
Correspondence, GCCSA 2021 to GCCSA 2026 (CG_GCCSA_2021_GCCSA_2026.csv). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 22 July 2026, checked 15 October 2026.
Greater Capital City Statistical Areas digital boundary file, 2026 (GCCSA_2026_AUST_SHP_GDA2020.zip). Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 22 July 2026, checked 15 October 2026.
Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0): the detailed classification. Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 26 June 2013, checked 16 October 2026.
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