Profile of Canadian exporters

A total of 41,267 establishments exported commodities in 2001, 2% less than in 2000, but 35% more than in 1993, according to the fourth issue of the Canadian Exporter Registry.

The value of merchandise exports from these establishments totalled $367 billion in 2001, up 12.7% from 1999, but down from a high of $378 billion in 2000. Despite this decrease, total merchandise exports in 2001 were more than double the level exported in 1993.

Establishments exporting more than $25 million annually continued to account for the majority of merchandise exports. In 2001, 4% of all exporting establishments accounted for 82% of the total value of merchandise exports.

At the enterprise level, the 50 largest exporting enterprises accounted for almost 50% of all merchandise exports. Establishments exporting less than $1 million annually represented 71% of all exporting establishments, yet they accounted for only 1.6% of the value of merchandise exports.

In 2001, the number of exporters in the smallest size classes (under $1 million in annual exports) accounted for most of the drop from 2000 in the number of exporters. Conversely, the drop in the value of exports was a result of a lower activity of exporters in the largest size class (over $25 million in annual exports).

On an industry basis, the decline in the number of exporters was concentrated in two industries: manufacturing and wholesale trade.

The decline in the value of exports was due primarily to two industries: the computer and electronic product manufacturing industry, where exports fell $10.3 billion, and the transportation equipment manufacturing industry, where they fell $5.3 billion. These declines were partly offset by a $2.4-billion increase in wholesale trade, and a $3.8-billion increase from transportation and warehousing.

From 1993 to 2001, manufacturing accounted for an average of 69% of merchandise exports. These exports were led by transportation equipment manufacturing, followed by wood products and paper manufacturing. The wholesale trade industry was also prominent, with 22% of all exporters accounting for 12% of merchandise exports in 2001.

Note: The Canadian Exporter Registry incorporates the same main aggregates as the previous version. These main aggregates consist of the number of establishments whose exports exceeded $30,000 in at least one year between 1993 and 2001 classified by industry grouping, exporter size, province or territory of residence of the exporter, destination of export and employment size (for 2001 only). The Exporter Registry is a joint initiative of Statistics Canada and Team Canada Inc., a network of federal departments and agencies that delivers international business development services to Canadians. This follow-up set of tables includes data for 2001, as well as revisions for the years 1993 to 2000.

Information on methods and data quality available in the Integrated Meta Data Base: survey numbers, including related surveys, 2201 and 2202.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Phil Armstrong (613-951-6755), International Trade Division.