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.
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Number of private sector companies owned by women in Canada 2005-2018
In 2018, 271,678 private sector businesses in Canada were majority owned by women, which is approximately 100,000 more than in 2005. On the other hand, while the number of companies mainly owned by women has indeed increased in recent years, the increase in terms of proportion is not as great: there has been an increase of only two percentage points in the between 2005 and 2018.
More data on companies in Canada can be found here.
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StatCan. (November 24, 2022). Number of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 30, 2026, from /statistics/1374937/number-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
StatCan. "Number of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018." Chart. November 24, 2022. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 30, 2026. /statistics/1374937/number-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
StatCan. (2022). Number of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 30, 2026. /statistics/1374937/number-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
StatCan. "Number of Private Sector Businesses Owned by Women in Canada from 2005 to 2018." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 24 Nov 2022, /statistics/1374937/number-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
StatCan, Number of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018 ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1374937/number-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/ (last visited July 30, 2026)
Number of private sector businesses owned by women in Canada from 2005 to 2018 [Graph], StatCan, November 24, 2022. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1374937/number-private-sector-companies-owned-women-canada/
