Women-owned businesses refer to those where total shares by female owners are greater than or equal to 51% .
Adapted from Statistics Canada, statcan.gc.ca, 2005 to 2018. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Citation formats
Share of private sector companies owned by women in Canada 2005-2018
As of 2018, slightly more than one in five private sector businesses in Canada were majority owned by women.
While this proportion has increased in recent years, this represents only two percentage points more than in 2005, when 18.18 percent of private businesses were owned by women.
More data on companies in Canada can be found here.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ can support your business.
StatCan. (November 24, 2022). Proportion of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from /statistics/1374933/share-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
StatCan. "Proportion of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018." Chart. November 24, 2022. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 29, 2026. /statistics/1374933/share-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
StatCan. (2022). Proportion of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 29, 2026. /statistics/1374933/share-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
StatCan. "Proportion of Private Sector Businesses Owned by Women in Canada from 2005 to 2018." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 24 Nov 2022, /statistics/1374933/share-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
StatCan, Proportion of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018 ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1374933/share-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/ (last visited July 29, 2026)
Proportion of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018 [Graph], StatCan, November 24, 2022. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1374933/share-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
