(Special Edition: Key Small Business Statistics)
The publication presents various statistics on the financing of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises; these include the credit request and approval rate, the average value of loan requests and the intended use of financing. Some statistics are presented according to the demographic characteristics of the owners (e.g., women, visible minorities), by province, industry and by firm size.
This paper examines the relationship between demand, supply and importance of trade credit, and financing constraints for Canadian small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The survey was conducted in August and September 2009. The questions focused on financing sought by small enterprises (1 to 100 employees) since August 2008. The answers refer to the 13-month period between August 2008 and September 2009.
This paper examines whether the financing activities and experiences of innovative small and medium-sized (SMEs) in accessing financing are different from those of non-innovative SMEs. This paper also examines whether innovative SMEs face different financing terms and conditions than non-innovative SMEs seeking financing.
This issue presents the Canadian venture capital (VC) investment and fundraising trends in Q2 2009. It also summarizes recent government initiatives related to the support of the VC industry in Canada.
Updated sections include data on the number of businesses in Canada, job creation, earnings by business size, the number of self-employed workers, women entrepreneurs as well as innovation by business size.
This issue discusses the trends in venture capital (VC) activity during Q1 2009 and also describes the many VC programs announced by governments during that quarter. It includes an article describing a number of business start-up competitions in Canada and how they can help investment-grade small businesses.
This profile describes innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs) along a range of characteristics and examines whether they differ from non-innovative SMEs in terms of access to financing, financing terms and conditions, and obstacles faced in accessing financing.
This year-end issue discusses Canada's venture capital (VC) activity during 2008, a year characterized by declining VC investments across nearly all regions, sectors and types of investors. The feature article highlights the findings of Canada's Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA) study of the economic impact of VC investment. The "In Focus" article discusses Manitoba's VC industry and diverse technology sectors.
This profile compares several characteristics of borrowers under the Canada Small Business Financing Program with small businesses not using the Program. These groups are compared in terms of financing (source and type), including provincial distribution, size, industries and satisfaction with lenders, as observed in 2004.
Updated sections include data on the number of businesses in Canada, survival of small businesses, job creation and characteristics of the self-employed.
This issue discusses Canada's venture capital (VC) activity during Q3 2008. It includes an article about InNOVAcorp, a Halifax-based business incubator, and the novel concept — High Performance incubation (HPi) — that applies in supporting technology-based new ventures. An article on Toronto describes the city's technology clusters.
Fast facts
There are 1.21 million SMEs in Canada that have employees.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics
98% of businesses in Canada have fewer than 100 employees.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics
Between 2015 and 2019, on average, 101,324 businesses were created every year and 90,151 disappeared.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics
Private sector SMEs employ over 10 million people in Canada.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics
21% of SMEs operate in goods-producing industries and 79% of SMEs operate in service industries.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics
SMEs were responsible for $246 billion (43%) of Canada's total value of goods exports in 2021.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics
3.4% of firms with 10 employees or more were high-growth firms in 2019.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics
SMEs contributed 50% of Canada's GDP in 2019.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics
12.1% of SMEs exported goods and services in 2020.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
The likelihood of exporting increases with business size.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
The primary decision maker of 47% of SMEs is between 50 and 64 years old.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
16.8% of SMEs were majority-women owned in 2020.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
25% of SMEs are operated by individuals with a bachelor's degree, while 15% are operated by individuals with a master's degree or above.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
28% of SMEs innovated between 2018 and 2020.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
16% of SMEs held intellectual property in 2020.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
82% of SMEs requested external financing in 2020.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
92% of the amount of debt financing requested by SMEs was authorized.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
2% of SMEs imported services from outside Canada.
Source: 2020 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises