Real gross domestic product of the natural resources sector rises in the first quarter
Real gross domestic product (GDP) of the natural resources sector rose 1.6% in the first quarter of 2025, after edging up 0.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024. In comparison, economy-wide real GDP rose 0.5% in the first quarter of 2025, following a rise of 0.5% in the previous quarter.
Chart 1: Natural resources' real gross domestic product
Description - Chart 1
Data table: Natural resources' real gross domestic product
Note: Q = Quarter.
Source: Table 38-10-0285-01.
Growth in real GDP of the natural resources sector was up overall in the first quarter of 2025, with the energy (+2.2%), minerals and mining (+0.4%) and forestry (+0.4%) subsectors increasing, while the hunting, fishing and water subsector (-0.5%) declined in the quarter. Increases in crude oil (+2.0%) along with electricity (+3.4%) drove a large part of the rise in the energy subsector. In the forestry subsector, trends were more mixed, with an increase in sawmill and wood products manufacturing (+3.9%) being partially offset by a decrease in pulp and paper products manufacturing (-3.6%). Similarly, in minerals and mining, increases in metallic mineral products manufacturing (+4.0%) and non-metallic minerals extraction (+3.2%) were partially offset by a decrease in metallic minerals extraction (-2.9%).
Quarterly import volumes move higher while exports decrease
Despite the increase in real GDP, natural resource export volumes decreased 0.9% in the first quarter of 2025, following an increase of 3.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024. The decrease was mainly attributable to the hunting, fishing and water (-11.6%), energy (-1.8%) and minerals and mining (-0.9%) subsectors, and was partially offset by increases in forestry (+3.0%). In the energy subsector, refined petroleum products (-12.4%) showed significant declines in the first quarter, after rising significantly in the two previous quarters.
Import volumes of the natural resources sector increased 1.9% in the first quarter of 2025, following a 0.3% rise in the fourth quarter of 2024. The increase was mainly attributed to the hunting, fishing and water (+9.9%) and energy (+5.6%) subsectors, with forestry (-1.2%) and minerals and mining (-1.1%) showing declines. The main contributor to the increase in the energy subsector was natural gas (+62.7%).
Natural resource prices rise in most subsectors
Natural resource prices rose 2.2% in the first quarter of 2025, following an increase of 0.6% in the previous quarter. Prices increased in most subsectors, with minerals and mining (+2.6%) up the most, mainly due to increases in both metallic minerals extraction (+8.4%) and non-metallic minerals extraction (+2.9%). Prices in the energy subsector (+2.4%) were influenced by price increases for natural gas (+11.9%), refined petroleum products (+6.4%) and crude oil (+2.6%). Elsewhere, an increase in prices associated with the hunting, fishing and water subsector (+2.2%) was partially offset by lower forestry prices (-0.6%).
Chart 2: Natural resource prices
Description - Chart 2
Data table: Natural resource prices
Note: Q = Quarter.
Source: Table 38-10-0285-01.
Natural resources' nominal gross domestic product increases
In the first quarter of 2025, increases in both natural resource prices and real GDP resulted in a 3.9% rise in natural resources nominal GDP. Expressed at an annual rate, natural resources' nominal GDP increased to $357.5 billion in the first quarter, representing 12.1% of the Canadian economy.
Number of jobs in natural resources increase
The number of jobs in the natural resources sector rose in the first quarter, increasing by 0.7%. Increases in the hunting, fishing and water (+2.4%), minerals and mining (+1.0%) and energy (+0.5%) subsectors contributed to the overall rise, while jobs in the forestry subsector were essentially flat.
Chart 3: Changes in jobs, first quarter of 2025
Description - Chart 3
Data table: Changes in jobs, first quarter of 2025
Source: Table 38-10-0285-01.
Downstream activities
For analytical purposes, secondary and tertiary processing for the forestry and minerals and mining subsectors are identified separately. The nominal GDP of downstream activities, at $9.6 billion in the first quarter of 2025, was up by 0.4% from the previous quarter. Prices for downstream activities rose 1.0% for the first quarter, following an increase in the previous quarter (+0.8%).
Note to readers
Data on natural resources for the first quarter of 2025 have been released along with revised data starting from the first quarter of 2024.
Data on the number of jobs in the hunting, fishing and water were revised from the first quarter of 2018 to integrate a revision from the annual benchmark and ensure coherence with the Human Resource Module of the Natural Resources Satellite Account (NRSA) published earlier this month.
The Natural Resource Indicators provide quarterly indicators for the main aggregates in the NRSA, namely gross domestic product, output, exports, imports and employment. The estimates from this account are directly comparable with the estimates in the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts.
Core natural resources: The NRSA defines natural resource activities as those that result in goods and services originating from naturally occurring assets used in economic activity, as well as their initial processing (primary manufacturing).
Downstream activities: Although not part of the core account, natural resources have important downstream effects on other sectors. In general, this production uses a large portion of primary manufactured products as inputs.
Jobs estimates reported in this release align with the definitions of natural resource subsectors. Consequently, these estimates may differ from those released by the labour productivity program.
Reference
Data table: 38-10-0285-01.
- Note: some data tables may best be viewed on desktop.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5367.
Previous release: Natural resource indicators, fourth quarter 2024.
Next release: September 25, 2025.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).