Québec, July 11, 2025. – Québec has 11,360 social economy enterprises spread out across all regions and many fields. These enterprises generate $53.6 billion in revenues and provide more than 248,000 payroll jobs in Québec. This information comes from the report L’économie sociale au Québec - Portrait statistique 2022 published today by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
The social economy: entrepreneurship with a social purpose
Social economy enterprises are democratically-run organizations that seek to be profitable while addressing social or collective needs. These enterprises have a variety of social purposes in different fields, such as:
- Housing (15%, about 1,730 enterprises)
- Health and living conditions (14%, about 1,620 enterprises)
- Recreation and tourism (12%, about 1,360 enterprises)
- Arts, culture and media (11%, about 1,300 enterprises)
- Education, training and childcare (11%, about 1,290 enterprises)
Montréal, Montérégie and Capitale-Nationale stand out
Nearly half (48%) of all social economy enterprises are concentrated in three administrative regions: Montréal, Montérégie and Capitale-Nationale.
Distribution of social economy enterprises by administrative region, Québec, 2022
Source
Institut de la statistique du Québec, Survey of Non-Profit Organizations, Cooperatives and Mutual Companies, 2023.
Characteristics of social economy enterprises
Among social economy enterprises, 77% are non-profit organizations (NPOs), 21% are non-financial cooperatives, and 2.1% are financial cooperatives or mutual companies.
About 60% of social economy enterprises have revenues below $500,000. Close to 63% of them have 1 to 25 employees, and 23% have no employees.
In addition, 55% of social economy enterprises benefit from the contribution of unpaid workers or volunteers other than those on their board of directors.
The report L’économie sociale au Québec - Portrait statistique 2022 also includes statistics by region and by sector. These findings come from a survey of about 5,000 enterprises carried out between August 2023 and January 2024. The survey was conducted with the financial support of the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie.
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.