2015

Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises, 2014

Summary of the results, along with the complete data tables of the Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises, 2014.

Cover of the Do Foreign Patent-Protection Rights Promote Domestic RandD Spending? report
Do Foreign Patent-Protection Rights Promote Domestic R&D Spending? Evidence from Canadian Firms

This paper examines the evolving role of intellectual property rights (IPR) in the context of globalization, where research and development incentives of Canadian firms are framed not only by Canadian IPR, but also by the IPR of Canada's export market.

 
Biannual Survey of Suppliers of Business Financing, second half 2014

Data analysis of the results, along with the data tables of the Biannual Survey of Suppliers of Business Financing, second half 2014.

Cover of Majority Female-Owned SMEs publication
Majority Female-Owned Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Business statistics segmented by gender provide a unique perspective on the attributes of the population of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners. This special edition of Key Small Business Statistics aims to provide readers with a picture of the general distribution of majority female-owned SMEs in Canada.

Cover of the SME Operating Performance report
SME Operating Performance

This report is about financial and operating performance and aims to shed light on how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generate and protect their money. No matter how much or how little money business owners have, they work hard to earn it and, with a little luck and a lot of devotion, see it grow over time.

Cover of the SME Profile: Tourism Industries in Canada
SME Profile: Tourism Industries in Canada (March 2015)

Using post-recession data, this update of the SME profile, first published in 2011, provides a descriptive overview of SMEs in tourism industries and examines their similarities and differences when compared with SMEs in other industries in terms of business and owner characteristics, access to financing, financing terms and conditions and obstacles to business growth.

Cover of the Requantifying the Rate of Incrementality for the Canada Small Business Financing Program Report
Requantifying the Rate of Incrementality for the Canada Small Business Financing Program (March 2015)

The federal government has put various programs in place to assist SMEs to access financing and, most notably, the Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP). The CSBFP is a loss-sharing program designed to stimulate lending through a joint government / private sector agreement. A perennial question is the extent to which it has assisted businesses to access financing that they would not otherwise have been able to access in the absence of the program. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to quantify the rate of financial incrementality of the CSBFP.

Cover of the Venture Capital Monitor - Q4 2014 issue
Venture Capital Monitor - Q4 2014

This year-end issue covers venture capital (VC) activity from January 2014 to December 2014.

Cover of the SME Profile: Canadian Exporters
SME Profile: Canadian Exporters (January 2015)

This report highlights the distinguishing features of SME exporters compared to non-exporters by examining differences in business and owner characteristics, financing characteristics, international business activities, revenue growth and levels of innovation.

Cover of the Venture Capital Monitor - Q3 2014 issue
Venture Capital Monitor - Q3 2014

This issue covers venture capital (VC) investment and fundraising activity in Canada during the third quarter of 2014.

Cover of the Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Canada Small Business Financing Program report
Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Canada Small Business Financing Program

This study measures the cost of resources devoted to administering the Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP), as well as the direct and indirect economic benefits that result from the program. The report calculates program net benefits/costs and performs a sensitivity analysis to determine the lower and upper bounds of these benefits/costs, which might not otherwise accrue to the economy in the absence of the program.

 
Biannual Survey of Suppliers of Business Financing, first half 2014

Data analysis of the results, along with the data tables of the Biannual Survey of Suppliers of Business Financing, first half 2014.

Fast facts

In 2022, there are 1.22 million SMEs in Canada that have employees.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics

97.8% of businesses in Canada have fewer than 100 employees.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics

Between 2016 and 2020, on average, 101,921 businesses were created every year and 96,548  disappeared.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics

In 2022, private sector SMEs employ around 8 million people in Canada.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics

22% of SMEs operate in goods-producing industries and 78% of SMEs operate in service industries.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics

SMEs were responsible for $293 billion (40.8%) of Canada's total value of goods exports in 2022.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics

2.6% of firms with 10 employees or more were high-growth firms in 2020.
Source: Key Small Business Statistics

SMEs contributed 49% of Canada's GDP in 2020.
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