Number of active businesses in Canada edges up 0.2 percent in September
Released: Friday, December 19, 2025
The number of active businesses is a good indicator of economic strength. Rising numbers of active businesses generally indicate economic expansion, while declines typically signal contraction. Statistics Canada tracks and publishes monthly figures on new business openings and business closures. The latest data reveal that in September, the opening rate edged up 0.1 percentage point to 4.9 percent, while the closure rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 4.7 percent. The number of active businesses in September increased by 1,655 or 0.2. percent to a total of 941,011. There was little change in most sectors. About a quarter of the growth (23 percent) was from the health care and social assistance sectors, while construction contributed to an 18 percent increase in the overall number of active businesses. Statistics Canada counts active businesses that are classified as enterprises, that can be corporations, quasi-corporations, institutions, or unincorporated businesses such as sole proprietors or partnerships.
Data for this week’s chart comes from Statistics Canada’s Table 33-10-0270-01 Experimental estimates for business openings and closures for Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas, seasonally adjusted.
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