International trade in services, monthly
Monthly international trade in services covering exports (receipts), imports (payments), and trade balances across commercial, travel, transportation, and government service categories on seasonally adjusted (SA) and raw (NSA) bases from 2007 to 2026.
About this dataset
- 3 trade flows (Exports / receipts, Imports / payments, Balances)
- 5 service categories (Total services, Commercial services, Travel services, Transportation services, Government services)
- 2 seasonal adjustment treatments (Seasonally adjusted, Not seasonally adjusted)
- 235 monthly reference periods from January 2007 to July 2026
- Bilateral partner country breakdown (monthly country breakdown available in Table 12-10-0140-01; detailed annual partner data in Table 36-10-0024-01)
- Detailed subsector services classifications (e.g. detailed 30+ EBOPS categories, available in quarterly Table 36-10-0021-01)
- Physical merchandise trade (see Table 12-10-0011-01 for merchandise trade)
- Constant dollar / volume deflators (services trade is published only in current nominal dollars)
Measurement notes
- Commercial services encompasses telecommunications, computer and information services, financial services, IP licensing, and professional business services.
- Travel services covers goods and services acquired by non-resident travellers (including international students) in the host country.
- Transportation services covers air passenger fares, ocean vessel container shipping, and freight handling.
- Seasonal adjustment is performed concurrently using the X-12-ARIMA method.
| Dimension / Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temporal Range | 2007-01 – 2026-07 | 235 consecutive monthly periods (Jan 2007 to Jul 2026) |
| Total Observations | 7,050 | Complete non-suppressed time series matrix |
| Completeness | 100.0% (0 nulls) | Unbroken monthly reporting across all series |
| Trade Flow Dimensions | 3 streams | Exports (receipts), Imports (payments), Balances |
| Service Categories | 5 categories | Total services, Commercial services, Travel, Transportation, Government |
| Seasonal Adjustment | 2 series | Seasonally adjusted (SA) and Not seasonally adjusted (NSA) |
| Measurement Unit & Scale | CAD Millions (Customs/BOP Basis) | Valued in current Canadian dollars under IMF BPM6 guidelines |
| Service Category | 2016-01 | 2016-07 | 2017-01 | 2017-07 | 2018-01 | 2018-07 | 2019-01 | 2019-07 | 2020-01 | 2020-07 | 2021-01 | 2021-07 | 2022-01 | 2022-07 | 2023-01 | 2023-07 | 2024-01 | 2024-07 | 2025-01 | 2025-07 | 2026-01 | 2026-07 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total services | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commercial services | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Travel services | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transportation services | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Government services |
Observations
- Pandemic travel collapse: Exports drop to $8.8B, Imports to $8.0B — NOTES.md: COVID services shock
- Exports exceed imports, establishing sustained services trade surplus — NOTES.md: Surplus crossover
- Deep deficit period: monthly shortfalls regularly exceeded -$1,800M — NOTES.md: Pre-2020 structural deficit
- Surplus stands at +$307M CAD in July 2026 — NOTES.md: Latest July 2026 release
- Travel exports crater by 80% during global travel border closures — NOTES.md: Border restrictions
- Commercial services exports reach $12.77B CAD — NOTES.md: Commercial expansion
- Peak deficit: -$22.4B CAD — NOTES.md: Historical deficit trough
- First annual services surplus in modern history: +$4.16B CAD — NOTES.md: Historic surplus milestone
- Surplus sustained at +$2.65B CAD — NOTES.md: 2025 annual surplus
- Full removal of Canadian border and travel COVID restrictions — NOTES.md: Border reopening
- Travel receipts permanently exceed travel payments — NOTES.md: Travel surplus transition
- Global maritime shipping bottleneck: monthly deficit spikes past -$1,500M — NOTES.md: Supply chain freight costs
Analytical Note: Canada's Structural Turnaround in Services Trade
For decades, Canada ran substantial, chronic deficits in international trade in services, exceeding -$20 billion CAD annually between 2011 and 2018. This structural deficit was driven primarily by Canadian outbound tourism spending and ocean container shipping freight charges. Starting in 2020 and consolidating in 2023–2025, Canada achieved its first sustained annual services trade surpluses (+$4.16B in 2023, +$1.48B in 2024, and +$2.65B in 2025). This dramatic turnaround reflects two structural forces: (1) explosive growth in Canadian knowledge-intensive commercial services exports (software, financial engineering, consulting), and (2) a major surge in educational travel receipts from international students residing and studying in Canada.
Methodology: BPM6 Standards & Concurrent Seasonal Adjustment
Statistics Canada Table 12-10-0144-01 is compiled under the International Monetary Fund's Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6). Services are valued at transaction prices in Canadian dollars. The four primary standard categories are: Commercial services (business, computer, information, intellectual property, financial), Travel (personal, business, educational spending by non-residents), Transportation (passenger fares, freight, port services), and Government services. Seasonally adjusted series are produced using the X-12-ARIMA model with concurrent seasonal factor updates. Data are revised annually in the third quarter following the release of comprehensive benchmark surveys.
Notes
Canada's services trade balance underwent a structural transformation from chronic -$20B annual deficits in the 2010s to sustained surpluses (+$2.65B in 2025 and +$307M in July 2026), driven by booming commercial services ($143.9B in 2025) and travel receipts ($72.0B).
Validation Checks
External: +$307 million CAD surplus (Statistics Canada The Daily (2026-09-03): 'Canada's international trade in services, July 2026')
Exact match: table reports +$307M for 2026-07 and -$177M for 2026-06 under Total services, Balances, Seasonally adjusted.
External: $21.04 billion CAD ($21,039M) (Statistics Canada The Daily (2026-09-03): 'Canada's international trade in services, July 2026')
Exact match: table reports $21,039M CAD for 2026-07 under Total services, Exports, Seasonally adjusted (+1.22% from $20,786M in June).
External: $20.73 billion CAD ($20,732M) (Statistics Canada The Daily (2026-09-03): 'Canada's international trade in services, July 2026')
Exact match: table reports $20,732M CAD for 2026-07 under Total services, Imports, Seasonally adjusted (-1.10% from $20,963M in June).
External: $12.77 billion CAD ($12,766M) (Statistics Canada The Daily (2026-09-03): 'Canada's international trade in services, July 2026')
Exact match: table reports $12,766M CAD for 2026-07 under Commercial services, Exports, Seasonally adjusted.
External: +$2.65 billion CAD ($2,649M) (Statistics Canada The Daily (2026-02-27): 'Canada's balance of international payments, fourth quarter 2025')
Exact match: 12-month unadjusted sum of monthly balances in 2025 equals +$2,649M CAD (vs +$1,476M in 2024).