Both the value of exports and imports of goods rose substantially in 2022. However, the rise in the value of trade was not reflected in the number of traders. The number of exporting enterprises (+0.7%) edged up to reach 48,036 in 2022, while the number of importing enterprises remained stable at 160,238.
Most of the growth in merchandise trade value in 2022 was attributed to medium- and large-sized enterprises, defined as those with 100 or more employees. The number of these exporting and importing enterprises went up by 5.9% and 7.2%, respectively.
Small enterprises, which comprised the lion’s share (94.6%) of all traders in 2022, did not experience a similar rise in the number of traders year over year. The number of small-sized exporters was relatively unchanged, while the number of small-sized importers went down slightly, concentrated among those with one to nine employees (-4.0%).
Chart 1
Year-over-year percentage change in the number of traders and value of trade, by exporters and importers, by enterprise size, 2021 to 2022
Number of Canadian exporters to the United States reaches 20-year high
Overall, the number of exporters to the United States rose by 686 to reach 40,787 in 2022, the highest level since 2003.
In contrast, the number of exporters to Asia and Europe both declined for a third consecutive year in 2022, with the decrease concentrated among small exporters. The number of exporters to the Russian Federation (-558) and Ukraine (-143) declined, against the backdrop of the conflict between the two countries. Meanwhile, the number of exporters to China (-298) and Hong Kong (-160) also went down, as public health measures impacted their local economics.
Chart 2
Number of Canadian exporting enterprises, by trading relationship with the United States, 2000 to 2022
Chart 3
Year-over-year change in the number of exporting and importing enterprises, by selected regions, 2021 to 2022
Related party trade makes up more than two-fifths of Canada’s international merchandise trade value
Related party trade, also known as intra-firm trade, is a common global goods production and distribution arrangement between a parent corporation and its affiliate in another country.
One-quarter of Canadian exporting enterprises traded with a related party in 2022, while less than 1 in 10 importing enterprises did so. By value, related party transactions had an outsized impact on Canada’s international merchandise trade, totalling $611.4 billion in 2022 and representing significant shares of the value of both exports (45.1%) and imports (41.4%).
Related party trade varied between regions. In 2022, a smaller share of exporters to the United States traded with a related party (21.7%) than did exporters to non-US destinations (31.3%). However, by value, more than half of all goods exports to the United States were sold to a related party, as opposed to less than a quarter of non-US exports.
Among non-US countries, the related party share of export value varied depending on the country of destination and industry involved. More than two-thirds of the value of exports to the United Kingdom was between related parties, primarily tied to primary metal manufacturing. Conversely, the related party share of exports to major trading partners in Asia, such as India (14.2%), China (10.8%) and Japan (5.8%), tended to be much lower.
Chart 4
Share of goods export value, by related party, selected principal trading partners, 2022
