According to the 2013 Small Business Profile, B.C. has the most small businesses per capita in Canada, at 83.5 per 1,000 people.

The Small Business Profile is a statistical report highlighting the major role that small business plays in B.C. and its impact on job creation, economic investment, exports and contributions to the province’s gross domestic product.

Here are some of the highlights from the 2013 profile:

• Small businesses employed more than one million people in the province in 2012.
• Small business provides about 55 per cent of all private-sector jobs in B.C., the second-highest rate in Canada.
• Small businesses account for 85 per cent of all exporters in B.C.
• B.C. small businesses shipped approximately $12.2 billion worth of merchandise to international destinations in 2011, which accounts for 42 per cent of all the goods exported from the province.
• About 385,900 small businesses were operating in the province in 2012, 82 per cent of which had fewer than five employees.

The Small Business Profile is produced by the B.C. government and BC Stats and is released during Small Business Month each October. The profile, which includes success stories from small-business owners throughout the province, is posted online. A special version is available for mobile devices.

Small business is defined as a business with fewer than 50 employees, or self-employed without paid help. Ninety-eight per cent of B.C. businesses are classified as small businesses, and B.C.’s small business community contributes 26 per cent of the province’s gross domestic product.