Montréal, December 16, 2025. – Québec’s 10,300 community action organizations generated about $9.8 billion in revenues in 2023. Nearly two thirds (67%) of the 137,000 people employed by these organizations are women. That was revealed in the report L’action communautaire au Québec – Portrait statistique 2023 (in French only) published today by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
Organizations are active in many different fields
While community action organizations can have several concurrent social missions, most of them (90%) have one predominant social mission. The most common main social mission fields are:
- Sports, recreation and tourism (15%)
- Art, culture and media (12%)
- Development of children, youth and families (10%)
Various clienteles are served
Among all community action organizations, 92% work directly with the public. About half of these (49%) usually offer their activities and services to the general public. The other half (51%) offers them to a specific clientele. The main groups served are:
- Women (13%)
- Families and children (14%)
- Teenagers or young adults (13%)
A diversity of activities and services are offered
To fulfill their social mission, community action organizations offer a wide range of activities and services. The most common are support and referrals (52% of organizations) and promotion and outreach (48%).
The importance of citizens’ contribution
Community action organizations have nearly 8.5 million members as well as 77,000 directors, about 57% of whom are women. The vast majority (84%) of organizations also have volunteers outside their board of directors.
Montréal, Montérégie and Capitale-Nationale stand out
Nearly half (46%) of community action organizations are concentrated in three administrative regions: Montréal (26%), Montérégie (10%), and Capitale-Nationale (10%). The other regions comprise between 3% and 7% of organizations each.
Read the highlights (in French only)
Read the complete report (PDF) (in French only)
The Institut de la statistique du Québec produces, analyzes and disseminates official, objective and quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and an essential source of information for all those wishing to learn more about Québec.