Trade by Enterprise Characteristics: Exporters of goods by employment size class, 2013 (preliminary estimates)

Released: 2015-06-26

There were 38,855 identified goods-exporting enterprises operating in Canada in 2013. Export revenues were concentrated among a small number of firms, with roughly 500 large enterprises and 7,600 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accounting for 98.5% of export sales.

Export values concentrated among a small number of enterprises

The top 10 exporting enterprises accounted for nearly 25% of total sales, while the top 50 generated over 50%. The top 100 exporting enterprises generated nearly two-thirds of total sales. Approximately 60 exporting enterprises in Canada had export sales of more than $1 billion, and almost 400 exporting enterprises had export sales of over $100 million. The top 1,000 enterprises accounted for 89% of exports, each reporting 2013 export revenues over $30 million.

Chart 1 
Distribution of export value among exporting enterprises

The top 10 exporting enterprises were large firms, which means that they have 500 or more employees. These 10 exporting enterprises had complex business structures, referred to as enterprise groups, and represented nearly 180 different declaring units. The top 100 exporting enterprise groups are a mix of organizational structures—mostly complex enterprises but also some simple firms. All together, these top 100 enterprises comprise nearly 1,200 individual declaring units, and estimates indicate that 14 of them are SMEs with combined exports of $18 billion.

Large enterprises accounted for $314 billion worth of exports compared with $106 billion for SMEs. The 464 large enterprises with export sales over $25 million accounted for all but $2 billion in sales by large enterprises. The 7,623 SMEs with export sales over $1 million together generated all but $4 billion. An additional 752 large firms and 30,016 SMEs accounted for the remaining value.

Manufacturing, and mining, oil and gas exports led by large firms

Enterprises in the manufacturing industries generated just over half of export sales, and together with mining, oil and gas (19%), the wholesale (11%) and business services (11%) industries accounted for 90% of exports. Sales of finance and insurance, utilities and construction, transportation and warehousing, and other services industries rounded out exports.

Large firms accounted for 75% of Canada's export sales in 2013 and a similar share of exports in the manufacturing sector. Exports by enterprises in transportation equipment manufacturing as well as primary metal manufacturing were almost entirely attributable to large firms. Of the $77 billion in sales for the transportation equipment industry, $72 billion was generated by large companies. In the primary metal industry, total export sales were $31 billion, with large enterprises accounting for $27 billion. Outside of manufacturing, export sales by mining, oil and gas industries were highly concentrated in large firms ($61 billion of $67 billion).

Export sales of chemical, machinery and food manufacturing industries relatively concentrated in small and medium-sized enterprises

SMEs generated 25% of Canada's export sales in 2013 and represented a similar share of exports in the manufacturing sector as a whole. When examining individual industries within the manufacturing sector, however, SMEs were better represented. Roughly 40% of sales ($9 billion of $23 billion) in the chemical manufacturing industry and 60% of sales ($7 billion of $12 billion) in the machinery manufacturing industry were generated by SMEs. As well, 35% of sales ($7 billion of $19 billion) in the food manufacturing industry and 70% of sales (nearly $5 billion of $6 billion) in the fabricated metal industry were attributable to SMEs.

Export sales by the wholesale industry were split evenly between SMEs and large firms. In terms of value, SMEs dominated the sales generated by agricultural, forestry and fishing industries, accounting for over $3 billion, or 85%, of revenues.

Most sales generated by enterprises exporting to both the United States and the rest of the world

Revenue generation in 2013 was highly concentrated in exporting enterprises that sold goods to both the United States and other countries. Of the $420.8 billion of exports sold, nearly 80% were exported by enterprises that served multiple markets. Notably, 807 enterprises (197 large firms and 610 SMEs) that exported to more than 20 different partner countries accounted for 40% of sales.

Export sales to the United States were $316 billion, with 76% by large firms and the remainder by SMEs. Export sales to the rest of the world were $104 billion, with 72% by large firms and 28% by SMEs.

Of the top 10 exporting enterprises, $88 billion of sales were destined for the United States and $16 billion for other countries. The top 100 firms generated sales of $207 billion to the United States and $67 billion to other destinations. The top 1,000 firms accounted for $280 billion of sales to the United States and $93 billion of sales to the rest of the world.

Regarding exports to the various regions, SMEs accounted for 24% of sales to North America, 30% of sales to Asia (Canada's largest export region after North America), 20% of sales to Europe, 40% of sales to Central and South America, 40% of sales to the Middle East, 45% of sales to Africa and 44% of sales to Oceania and Australia.

Products

Standard data tables from the Trade by Enterprise Characteristics Program for exporters of goods in Canada in 2013 by enterprise size class are now available upon request. These new data tables provide information on the number of exporting entities and the value of exports, and are available by employment size class, by industry and by trading partner. Standard provincial and territorial data tables for selected variables are also available.

Customized data tables are available upon request on a cost-recovery basis.

Contact information

For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca).

For more information, to order data, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Diana Wyman (trade@statcan.gc.ca), International Accounts and Trade Division.