Small businesses are integral to the growth of British Columbia’s economy. They support diversity in urban and rural communities, and are a foundation to support all industry sectors. B.C. has a strong, innovative and sustainable economy, largely due to the strength of our small business sector.

Since 2014, B.C. has led the country in growth in the number of small businesses. Between 2017 and 2018, the number of small businesses in B.C. grew 3.2 per cent, a net increase of approximately 15,600 businesses. Much of this growth has been concentrated in urban areas.

It’s no surprise that the most populous regions are also the ones with the most businesses. The distribution of small businesses is similar to that of population. The Mainland/Southwest region is home to about 65.1 per cent of businesses, higher than the 61.1 per cent share of total provincial population. Vancouver Island/Coast ranked second in both population and share of small business with 15.8 and 17.2 per cent, respectively. The Cariboo (2.6 per cent) and Kootenay regions (3.2 per cent) had shares of businesses relatively representative of their population, while the Thompson/Okanagan region had a slightly smaller proportion of businesses (10.0 per cent) relative to its population (11.7 per cent).The remaining regions together were home to 3.3 per cent of small businesses and 3.4 per cent of the provinces’s population in 2018.

British Columbia is divided into seven economic regions, each with a distinct character and economic base. Check each Region’s pages to find out about local current events and available resources to help small business. You can also see profiles of local small businesses, and learn more about the Roundtable board members who reside in the community.