A Profile of Businesses in Indigenous Communities in Canada [Statistics Canada]

In 2017, there were nearly 19,000 businesses located in Indigenous communities (approximately 17,000 in First Nations communities and 2,000 in Inuit communities). Combined, these businesses generated just over $10 billion in total revenue and $0.4 billion in profits in the reference year of this study.

This study provides a broad understanding of the business environments in Indigenous communities - First Nations and Inuit - across Canada. These communities are typically located in rural low density or remote areas. The analysis profiles businesses located in Indigenous communities and compares them with businesses located in Non-Indigenous communities with similar population size parameters; hence, this analysis uses a geographic concept (i.e., the type of community) to connect the business dimension with the Indigenous dimension, as opposed to businesses whose ownership identifies as Indigenous. However, businesses are sometimes referred to in this study simply as First Nations, Inuit or Non-Indigenous - it must be borne in mind that these designations are based on business location rather than ownership.

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