Public Sector Universe, 2024
Released: 2025-11-21
Today, Statistics Canada is publishing the 2024 list of entities in the Public Sector Universe. This year's product presents public sector units from 2008 to 2024.
The nature and range of industries in which the public sector is involved underlines its economic breadth and influence in Canada.
The public sector consists of all resident institutional units controlled by government units, which include the general government sector and government business enterprises (GBEs), commonly referred to as public corporations. It is composed of 6,064 active units as of this release, 18 fewer than the previous year. Since 2019, the number of units has decreased by 96 and this decrease is mainly attributable to the provincial and territorial (-36) and local (-52) government subsectors, following dissolutions, reorganizations or mergers of units.
Mandate of the Public Sector Universe
The Public Sector Universe is a comprehensive list of institutional units that are included in the coverage of Canadian macroeconomic statistics, including the Canadian Government Finance Statistics (CGFS), which were also released today. This list of reporting entities is an essential input into the compilation and dissemination of detailed and meaningful data from the CGFS. It is also a key element in understanding and reconciling these data to fiscal data published by governments.
Newfoundland and Labrador English School District dissolved in January 2024
As a result of the dissolution of the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District (NLESD) in January 2024, the Department of Education, under the direction of the province, assumed responsibilities previously held by NLESD, which was an independent governing body classified in the school boards subsector that managed budgetary allocations, expenditures and financial reporting.
The dissolution of NLESD with its integration into the provincial Department of Education led to the consolidation of financial reporting and operations. This change affects the structure of provincial financial statements, including the reallocation of assets, liabilities and expenditures within the provincial and territorial governments subsector in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Spending of public sector units accounts for almost half of nominal gross domestic product
Government activities account for a significant share of the Canadian economy, and financial aggregates reflect that reality. The size of the general government in Canada is primarily attributable to extensive social protection programs, combined with the universal health care and public education systems.
In 2024, the expenses of the 6,064 public sector units represented almost half (47.2%) of nominal gross domestic product (GDP), down slightly from 47.7% in 2023. General government expenses alone accounted for 42.7% of nominal GDP in 2024, down from 43.2% in 2023.
Most government operations are financed by taxes and compulsory social contributions paid by individuals and businesses, also referred to as fiscal burden. In 2024, the Canadian general government fiscal burden represented just over one-third (34.5%) of GDP, or $25,770 per capita; in comparison, it was $24,741 in 2023.
In 2024, total revenues generated by the general government sector reached $1,303 billion. In other words, they represented 41.9% of GDP, up slightly from 2023 (41.3%). Taxes and social contributions accounted for over four-fifths (82.3%) of total revenues.
Expressed as a percentage of nominal GDP, the public sector net financial worth in 2024 declined compared with one year earlier, decreasing from -33.4% to -33.9%. The decline would have been more pronounced without the contributions of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), which recorded a combined growth of 13.2% in net financial worth. In 2024, the net financial worth of the CPP and QPP reached 27.9% of nominal GDP, or $867 billion, up from 25.8%, or $766 billion, in 2023.
Sales increase at government business enterprises
GBEs play an important role in the Canadian economy by providing key goods and services to the community and managing some of the government's strategic assets and liabilities. They are active in various industries, such as utilities, retail trade (e.g., liquor authorities), transportation, finance (e.g., deposit insurance), leasing (e.g., convention centres) and recreation (e.g., nature parks).
Sales of goods and services of all GBEs rose by 4.3% from one year earlier to $161.8 billion in 2024. Sales of goods and services remained the largest source of revenue for GBEs and accounted for 76.8% of total revenue in 2024. Thus, total revenue of all GBEs increased from $202.8 billion in 2023 to $210.7 billion in 2024, with the strongest increases being recorded in utilities (+$3.8 billion), financial services (+$2.3 billion) and wholesale (+$1.8 billion).
Note to readers
The 2024 list of entities in the Public Sector Universe (PSU) is now available. This year's product presents public sector units from 2008 to 2024.
Sector classification decisions of public sector entities are available on the PSU Tool. Statistics Canada continues to progressively release detailed information on the methodology used for the sector classification of Canadian public sector entities using a standardized template.
The classification criteria are based on internationally recognized standards of macroeconomic statistics and include the concepts of residence, institutional unit, control and market or non-market production. The methodology is thus harmonized with the prescriptions of the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014, developed by the International Monetary Fund, as well as the 2008 System of National Accounts.
For more in-depth information about the institutional coverage of the Canadian public sector and the methodology pertaining to the sector classification of public entities please refer to the paper "Best practices for defining the Canadian public sector."
Canada's PSU—made up of governments and the business enterprises they control—provides information on the thousands of institutional units present throughout Canada, including the legal name of the unit, date of entry into or exit from the public sector, and geographical perspectives. This list of institutional units constitutes the universe from which Statistics Canada presents the measurement of Canadian government finance statistics.
An institutional unit is defined as an economic entity that is capable—in its own right—of owning assets, incurring liabilities, and engaging in economic activities and in transactions with other entities.
Ministries, departments, agencies, boards, commissions, judicial authorities, legislative bodies, and other entities that make up a government are not institutional units if they do not have the authority to own assets, incur liabilities or engage in transactions in their own right. In general, all entities funded by appropriations made in accordance with a budget controlled by the legislature are not separate institutional units and are treated as constituting a single institutional unit. Government business enterprises are government controlled, public financial and non-financial corporations engaged in commercial operations involving the sale of goods and services to the public in the marketplace at economically significant prices.
Calculations as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) are based on the nominal GDP at market prices, expenditure-based, estimates for Canada, the provinces and the territories, available in table 36-10-0222-01.
Net financial worth is defined as the total value of financial assets minus the total value of liabilities. When liabilities are greater than financial assets, the measure is referred to as net debt as per public accounts.
Products
The publication Public Sector Universe (68-516-X) is now available in HTML format.
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).
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