Characteristics of SME exporters in Canada

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comprise the majority of Canadian companies and make a substantial contribution to the economy. As of December 2021, there were about 1.2 million SMEs in Canada, representing 99.8 percent of all employer businesses (ISED, 2022). SMEs were responsible for 88.2% of all private sector jobs in 2021 and accounted for about 53.2% of GDP on average between 2015 and 2019. The importance of SMEs to the overall economy is not particular to Canada. Across Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) economies, SMEs account for over 99% of firms and 60% of business sector employment and the majority of value-added (OECD, 2023).

Publisher

Global Affairs Canada

Resources

2

Catalogue metadata updated

2025-11-25