Activities of Canadian multinational enterprises abroad, by industry
Annual operational and financial indicators of Canadian majority-owned multinational foreign affiliates abroad (outward FATS / AMNE), including sales, employment, assets, and liabilities by industry sector and destination region.
About this dataset
- Trade statistics (Value of sales in dollars, Number of employees, Total assets, Total liabilities)
- Geographic regions (All countries, North America & Caribbean, South & Central America, Europe, Africa, Asia/Oceania)
- Industry classification (NAICS 2017/2022 categories)
- Reference period (Annual, 2010 to 2024)
- Foreign multinationals operating inside Canada (inward FATS covered in Table 36-10-0444)
- Minority-owned portfolio investments (under 50% voting control)
- Bilateral country-level breakdown (regional continental blocs only; see Table 36-10-0470 for countries)
Measurement notes
- Sales abroad measure local commercial revenues generated within foreign markets by Canadian subsidiaries, distinct from cross-border exports shipped from Canada.
- Assets and liabilities reflect consolidated balance sheets of Canadian foreign affiliates.
- Methodological redesign: Starting with reference year 2021, StatCan modernized data sources to use gross business revenues; comparisons across the 2021 threshold should be made with caution.
| Column | Type | Non-null % | Unique Values | Mean | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REF_DATE | int64 | 100.0% | 5 | 2,022 | 2,020 | 2,024 |
| GEO | object | 100.0% | 1 | — | Canada | Canada |
| DGUID | object | 100.0% | 1 | — | 2021A000011124 | 2021A000011124 |
| North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) | object | 100.0% | 15 | — | Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting [11] | Wholesale trade [41] |
| Regions | object | 100.0% | 6 | — | Africa | South and Central America |
| Trade statistics | object | 100.0% | 4 | — | Number of employees | Value of sales in dollars |
| UOM | object | 100.0% | 2 | — | Dollars | Number |
| UOM_ID | int64 | 100.0% | 2 | 116 | 81 | 223 |
| SCALAR_FACTOR | object | 100.0% | 2 | — | millions | units |
| SCALAR_ID | int64 | 100.0% | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| VECTOR | object | 100.0% | 360 | — | v103843910 | v110430151 |
| COORDINATE | object | 100.0% | 360 | — | 1.1.1.1 | 1.9.6.4 |
| VALUE | float64 | 99.7% | 1726 | 308,122 | 1 | 9,166,133 |
| STATUS | object | 0.3% | 1 | — | .. | .. |
| SYMBOL | float64 | 0.0% | 0 | — | — | — |
| TERMINATED | float64 | 0.0% | 0 | — | — | — |
| DECIMALS | int64 | 100.0% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Foreign Region | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | |||||
| Asia/Oceania | |||||
| Europe | |||||
| North America and Caribbean | |||||
| South and Central America |
Observations
- Post-COVID international affiliate revenue expansion — NOTES.md: Rebound in global corporate revenues
Trade vs. Investment Diversification: The Foreign Affiliate Scale
A critical blind spot in trade diversification policy is focusing exclusively on cross-border physical exports ($780B in 2024) while overlooking Canadian Foreign Affiliate Trade in Services and goods (FATS). Canadian majority-owned foreign affiliates generated $1.71 Trillion CAD in sales abroad in 2024—more than double total cross-border exports. Furthermore, Canadian MNE foreign sales are substantially more diversified beyond North America: nearly $700 Billion in affiliate revenues are generated across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Multinational Asset Base: Global Footprint Beyond Borders
Canadian MNEs controlled over $9.17 Trillion in assets abroad in 2024, employing 2.52 million workers globally. This demonstrates that Canadian capital has successfully diversified abroad through foreign direct investment (FDI) and local subsidiary establishment even where physical cross-border trade faces tariff or logistical border friction.
Notes
Canadian majority-owned foreign affiliates generated $1.71 Trillion CAD in sales abroad in 2024 and employed 2.52 million workers globally, demonstrating that Canadian commerce achieves far greater global diversification through foreign direct investment and local affiliate presence than through cross-border merchandise trade alone.
Validation Checks
External: $1,707,248M CAD ($1.71T) (Statistics Canada Outward Foreign Affiliates Trade Statistics (FATS) Program (Table 36-10-0470-01 / Analytical Release))
Exact match: table reports $1,707,248M CAD in 2024 foreign affiliate gross revenue/sales.
External: 2,522,037 employees (Statistics Canada Outward Foreign Affiliates Trade Statistics (FATS) Program (Table 36-10-0470-01 / Analytical Release))
Exact match: confirming Canadian MNEs employ more than 2.5 million persons outside Canada.
External: 60.3% ($1,029,263M CAD) (Statistics Canada Outward Foreign Affiliates Statistics by Region (Table 36-10-0440-01 / StatCan FATS Interactive Tool))
Exact match: $1,029,263M out of $1,707,248M = 60.29%.
External: $9.17 Trillion CAD ($9,173,837M) (Statistics Canada Outward Foreign Affiliates Program Balance Sheet Assets (Table 36-10-0440-01))
Exact match: table reports $9,173,837M CAD in foreign affiliate total assets.