Gross domestic product by industry, April 2025
Released: 2025-06-27
April 2025
-0.1% 
(monthly change)
Real gross domestic product (GDP) edged down 0.1% in April, following a 0.2% increase in March.
Chart 1
Real gross domestic product edges down in April
The goods-producing industries were down 0.6% in April, with the manufacturing sector accounting for nearly all the decline.
The services-producing industries edged up 0.1% in April. Public administration, finance and insurance, and the arts, entertainment and recreation sectors contributed the most to the increase, while the wholesale trade sector was the largest detractor to growth. Overall, 10 of 20 industrial sectors expanded in April.
The manufacturing sector contracts on broad-based declines in April
Chart 2
Manufacturing sector down in April
The manufacturing sector was down 1.9% in April, the largest drop since April 2021, reflecting broad-based declines across both durable and non-durable goods manufacturing aggregates.
In April, durable goods manufacturing (-2.2%) was down for the first time in four months as 8 of 10 subsectors contracted. The transportation equipment manufacturing subsector (-3.7%) was the largest contributor to the decline, registering its largest monthly contraction since September 2021 when prolonged global supply chain disruptions and semiconductor shortages hit motor vehicle manufacturing. The decline in the subsector was largely attributed to other transportation equipment (-21.6%), which posted its first decline in six months, and motor vehicle manufacturing (-5.2%), coinciding with lower exports of passenger cars and light trucks as some motor vehicle manufacturers scaled back production amid uncertainty related to tariffs imposed on motor vehicle exports to the United States.
Non-durable goods manufacturing (-1.6%) contracted for the fifth time in six months in April, with the food and petroleum and coal product manufacturing subsectors contributing the most to the decrease. Food manufacturing decreased 3.6%, posting its largest monthly decline since May 2023, as lower production in most industries weighed on the subsector. Petroleum and coal product manufacturing dropped 5.9% in April, its largest contraction since April 2021, as many refineries and other petroleum products producers undertook turnaround and maintenance in the month.
Wholesale trade down on broad-based declines
The wholesale trade sector contracted 1.9% in April, recording the largest monthly decline since June 2023, as activity subsided in seven of the nine subsectors.
Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories wholesaler-distributors (-6.8%) were the largest detractors to growth, as exports and imports of such products dropped in April. Declines in machinery, equipment and supplies (-1.6%) and miscellaneous (-3.2%) wholesaler-distributors further contributed to the decline, coinciding with declines of exports and imports of several related products.
Finance and insurance up amid increased financial market activity
The finance and insurance sector rose 0.7% in April. It was the largest monthly increase since August 2024, reflecting broad-based increases across all subsectors, led by financial investment services.
Financial investment services, funds and other financial vehicles (+3.5%) contributed the most to the growth in the sector, with the largest monthly growth rate since August 2024. The announcement of US tariffs on April 2 heightened trade tensions and prospects of a global economic slowdown, leading to unusually high activity on Canadian equity markets in April. Selling activity on the Toronto Stock Exchange and other financial markets in the four trading days following the announcement was the main contributor to April's elevated activity. A subsequent rebound in North American equity markets, which began on April 9 following the announcement of a 90-day pause on US import tariffs, further contributed to the atypically high volume of activity seen in April.
Public sector activity rises, driven in large part by the federal election
The public sector aggregate (comprising educational services, health care and social assistance, and public administration) expanded 0.4%, as all three sectors within the aggregate expanded in April.
The public administration sector (+0.8%) contributed the most to the increase. The federal government public administration subsector led the growth with a 2.2% increase in April, its first increase in nine months, driven by higher activity associated with the Canadian federal election.
The health care and social assistance sector (+0.3%) rose with broad-based increases across all subsectors, while the educational services sector edged up 0.1%.
Arts, entertainment and recreation expands, driven in large part by performing arts, spectator sports and related industries and heritage institutions
The arts, entertainment and recreation sector increased 2.8% in April, its largest increase since March 2022, as all subsectors expanded. Five Canadian National Hockey League teams qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017, resulting in higher than usual attendance levels at the arenas in April, and contributing to increased activity in spectators' sports in the month.
The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector essentially unchanged
The mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction sector was essentially unchanged in April as declines in oil and gas extraction and mining and quarrying (except oil and gas) were offset by an increase in support activities for mining, and oil and gas extraction.
The oil and gas extraction subsector contracted 0.6% in April. Oil and gas extraction (except oil sands) was down 1.1%, reflecting lower natural gas and crude petroleum extractions. Oil sands extraction was essentially unchanged, as higher crude bitumen extraction was fully offset by lower synthetic crude production, as several upgrading facilities in Alberta began maintenance and turnaround work in April. Furthermore, a rupture in the Keystone pipeline in early April prompted its temporary shutdown, contributing to a decline in activity of crude oil and other pipeline transportation and coinciding with reduced crude oil exports for the month.
The support activities for mining, and oil and gas extraction subsector rose 4.8%, driven in large part by an increase in support activities for oil and gas extraction, as rigging and drilling activities both expanded in the month.
Chart 3
Main industrial sectors' contribution to the percent change in gross domestic product in April
Advance estimate for real gross domestic product by industry for May 2025
Advance information indicates that real GDP decreased 0.1% in May. Decreases in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, public administration and retail trade were partially offset by an increase in real estate and rental and leasing. Owing to its preliminary nature, this estimate will be updated on July 31, 2025, with the release of the official GDP by industry data for May.
Focus on Canada and the United States
Canada's exposure to the US market: Spotlight on the oil and gas extraction subsector
The impact of international trade on the Canadian economy can be analyzed using the Value Added in Exports database, which provides data on the direct and indirect impact of exports on gross domestic product (GDP) and jobs by industry. As described in the document "Value-added exports: measurement framework," direct impacts refer to the jobs or GDP generated within the exporting industry itself, while indirect impacts pertain to the jobs or GDP created through the demand for the industry's products by other exporting industries. An industry's output attributed to foreign demand includes jobs and GDP generated by both direct and indirect exports.
For instance, in the steel industry, direct jobs due to exports are those required to produce the industry's exports. Indirect jobs, on the other hand, are those in the steel industry needed to supply products to the exports of other industries, such as car parts manufacturing and aerospace manufacturing.
The Value Added in Exports database covers the period from 2007 to 2023 and is derived from the supply and use tables. Due to their comprehensive nature and availability of data sources, these tables are published with a two-year lag.
The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector is one of the industrial sectors with the highest exposure to the US market, relying on demand from the United States for 60% of its output and 42% of its workforce in 2023.
Within the sector, the oil and gas extraction subsector is the most reliant on exports to the United States. In particular, the oil sands extraction industry had by far the highest reliance on US demand within the sector in 2023, relying on demand from the United States for 87% of its output and its workforce. In comparison, US demand accounted for 81% of its output and labour in 2014.
Exports of Canadian crude oil and equivalents rose 5.0% in 2024, reaching an annual record of 240.4 million cubic metres. Exports to the United States rose 3.4%, reaching 229.8 million cubic metres in 2024. Meanwhile, exports to other countries rose 59.8% to 10.6 million cubic metres, as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion began operation in May 2024. The United States continued to be the dominant market for Canadian exports of crude oil.
For more data and insights on areas touched by the socio-economic relationship between Canada and the United States, see the Focus on Canada and the United States webpage.
Infographic 1
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector export dependency on the United States (share of value added for the sector and its subsectors attributed to direct exports and indirect exports to the United States), 2023
Infographic 2
Export dependency on the United States: Spotlight on the oil and gas extraction subsector and support activities for oil and gas extraction industry (share of value-added by industry attributed to direct exports and indirect exports to the United States), 2023
Did you know we have a mobile app?
Download our mobile app and get timely access to data at your fingertips! The StatsCAN app is available for free on the App Store and on Google Play.
Upcoming changes to the Statistics Canada homepage
On July 16, Statistics Canada will launch an improved homepage to facilitate navigation and data access. Rest assured that the new design will not affect your bookmarks or access to The Daily, data tables, web scraping, or other key functionalities.
For more information, please visit the page on the upcoming changes to the Statistics Canada website.
Sustainable development goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the United Nations' transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the following 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.
The release on gross domestic product by industry is an example of how Statistics Canada supports monitoring the progress of global sustainable development goals. This release will be used to help measure the following goal:
Note to readers
Monthly data on gross domestic product (GDP) by industry at basic prices are chained volume estimates with 2017 as the reference year. This means that the data for each industry and each aggregate are obtained from a chained volume index multiplied by the industry's value added in 2017. The monthly data are benchmarked to annually chained Fisher volume indexes of GDP obtained from the constant-price supply and use tables (SUTs) up to the latest SUT year (2021).
For the period starting in January 2022, data are derived by chaining a fixed-weight Laspeyres volume index to the prior period. The fixed weights are the 2021 industry current price estimates.
Statistics Canada also produces expenditure-based GDP estimates at market prices, which are chained quarterly based on a Fisher volume index. Due to conceptual and statistical differences, GDP by industry and GDP by expenditure percent change estimates can diverge slightly.
All data in this release are seasonally adjusted. For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
An advance estimate of industrial production for May 2025 is available upon request.
For more information on GDP, see the video "What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?."
For more information on the impact of tariffs on key economic statistics, please consult: "How tariffs are conceptually reflected in key economic statistics."
Revisions
Each month, newly available administrative and survey data from various industries in the economy are integrated, resulting in statistical revisions. Updated and revised administrative data (including taxation statistics), new information provided by respondents to industry surveys, and standard changes to seasonal adjustment calculations are incorporated with each release.
With this release of monthly GDP by industry, revisions have been made back to January 2024.
To satisfy the opposing goals for both timeliness and accuracy, Statistics Canada regularly updates (revises) its estimates of GDP. For more information about GDP revisions cycles, please consult the Revisions to Canada's GDP in the Latest Developments in the Canadian Economic Accounts (13-605-X).
Real-time table
Real-time table 36-10-0491-01 will be updated on July 7, 2025.
Next release
Data on real GDP by industry for May 2025 will be released on July 31, including an advance estimate for the June 2025 reference month.
Products
The User Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (13-606-G) is available.
The Methodological Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (13-607-X) is also available.
The Economic accounts statistics portal, accessible from the Subjects module of the Statistics Canada website, features an up-to-date portrait of national and provincial economies and their structure.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
- Date modified: