Key Small Business Statistics

This publication provides information on the most frequently asked questions pertaining to small businesses in Canada.

Key Small Business Statistics 2023 edition includes data on the number of businesses in Canada, private sector employment by business size, firm birth and survival rate, the share of high-growth firms, exports of goods by small and medium-sized enterprises and the contribution by business size to the gross domestic product.

Archived Previous Editions:
Key Small Business Statistics 2022, Key Small Business Statistics 2021, Key Small Business Statistics 2020, Key Small Business Statistics 2019 – November, Key Small Business Statistics 2019 – January, Key Small Business Statistics 2016, Key Small Business Statistics 2013, Key Small Business Statistics 2012, Key Small Business Statistics 2011, Key Small Business Statistics 2010, Complete list

Special editions

SME Profile: Rural enterprises in Canada
This report presents results from the 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises to offer a snapshot of the financing and growth activities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that operate in rural areas of Canada.

SME Profile: Canada Small Business Financing Program borrowers
This report profiles the general characteristics of Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP) borrowers, and compares them to the characteristics of non-CSBFP borrowers. These groups are compared across several characteristics, including, but not limited to gender, age, experience, industry, innovation activity, growth and financing activity.

SME Profile: Clean technology in Canada – March 2023
This report presents results from the 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises to offer a glimpse into the financing and growth activities of clean technology (clean tech) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canada. These findings, which include statistics on the firm characteristics, financing, growth activities and ownership of clean tech SMEs, are compared with those of all SMEs.

SME Profile: Co-operatives in Canada– March 2023
This profile presents comparisons between co-operatives and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based on the Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SFGSME).

SME Profile: Recipients of the Canada Emergency Business Account

SME Profile: Recipients of the Canada Emergency Business Account - December 2022
This report presents a business profile of small and medium-sized enterprises that received loans from the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) in 2020. The data used in the report is from the 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises.

SME Profile: Tourism Industries in Canada

SME Profile: Tourism Industries in Canada - August 2022
This report contains a summary of key findings for Canada's tourism sector from the 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises, and analysis on employment and financial performance from Statistics Canada's Provincial-Territorial Human Resources Module of the Tourism Satellite Account and ISED's Financial Performance Data, respectively. It provides an overview of business characteristics, innovation activities, and recent financing activities of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in tourism industries in comparison with Canadian SMEs in all industries.

SME Profile: Ownership demographics statistics

SME Profile: Ownership demographics statistics - August 2022
This report, based on data collected in the 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises, presents demographic statistics for seven SME majority ownership types: SMEs majority owned by men, equally owned by men and women, majority owned by women, majority owned by Indigenous persons, majority owned by visible minorities, majority owned by person(s) with a disability and majority owned by members of the same family.

Cover of SME Profile: Ownership demographics statistics - January 2020

SME Profile: Ownership demographics statistics - January 2020 is a special edition of Key Small Business Statistics that presents demographic statistics for seven SME majority ownership types: SMEs majority owned by men, equally owned by men and women, majority owned by women, majority owned by Aboriginal persons, majority owned by visible minorities, majority owned by person(s) with a disability and majority owned by members of the same family.

Cover of Majority female-owned SMEs publication

Majority female-owned small and medium-sized enterprises–May 2015 is a special edition of Key Small Business Statistics aiming to provide readers with a picture of the general distribution of majority female-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canada.

Cover of Financing Statistics-November 2013 publication

Financing statistics–November 2013 is a special edition of Key Small Business Statistics that presents various statistics on the financing of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises including credit request and approval rates, average value of loan requests and intended use of financing. Some statistics are presented by demographic characteristics of owners (e.g., women, visible minorities), province, industry and firm size.

Archived Previous Editions: December 2009, December 2006, August 2005

Cover of The Canadian Provinces publication

The Canadian Provinces–September 2013 is a special edition of Key Small Business Statistics that provides readers with a picture of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canadian provinces with a focus on the diversity within the country's borders.

Cover of Canadian Small Business Exporters publication

Canadian small business exporters - June 2011 is a special edition of Key Small Business Statistics that includes three sections. The first section, Key Statistics on Small Business Exports, presents information on exports by firm size, industry, destination, province and commodity exported. The second section, Financing Profile of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Exporters, presents a profile of SME exporters, including their financing activities and perceived obstacles to growth. The third section looks at SME Involvement in Global Value Chains.

Cover of Growth Map of Canadian Firms publication

Growth map of Canadian firms - January 2010 is a special edition of Key Small Business Statistics that examines the distribution of all Canadian firms according to their growth rate (positive or negative) in terms of employment and revenue. An analysis by firm size and industry, as well as employment created and revenue generated by firms, is also included. The section on the number of businesses in Canada has been updated.