Contents
- Business survival in British Columbia statistics from Community Futures
- Business survival in British Columbia statistics across Community Futures rounds
- business survival in British Columbia: Canadian new-firm survival context by duration
- business survival in British Columbia: Canadian new-firm survival by industry
- business survival in British Columbia: Canadian new-firm survival by entrant size
- Sources
Business survival in British Columbia statistics from Community Futures
Community Futures Program evaluations provide a historical regional reference for business survival in British Columbia. In Round 12, the reported survival rate for B.C. Community Futures loan clients was 87% after 1 year and 63% after 5 years. For comparable non-client businesses, the evaluation reported 83% after 1 year and 47% after 5 years. The figures refer to the comparison in that evaluation round; they are not rates for every B.C. business or present-day estimates. The evaluation attributes the figures to unpublished Statistics Canada National Data from Round 12, and the cited passage does not give underlying cohort details. Source: PacifiCan, “Regional evaluation of the Community Futures Program,” Section 4.3 and footnote 22
| Round 12 comparison group | Survival after 1 year | Survival after 5 years |
|---|---|---|
| B.C. Community Futures loan clients | 87% | 63% |
| Comparable non-client businesses | 83% | 47% |
Source: PacifiCan, “Regional evaluation of the Community Futures Program,” Section 4.3 and footnote 22.
The duration labels distinguish the 1-year observations from the 5-year observations, and the rows describe separate groups. In this comparison, reported client survival was higher at both durations. The cited passage does not provide underlying counts or a full account of how comparison businesses were selected, so the figures alone do not show that participation caused the difference. Their useful scope is a historical Round 12 comparison, not a universal B.C. business survival rate. Source: PacifiCan, “Regional evaluation of the Community Futures Program,” Section 4.3 and footnote 22
Business survival in British Columbia statistics across Community Futures rounds
Later Community Futures evaluations reported average 5-year survival figures. Round 13 reported an average of 96.9% among CFP clients and 89.7% among non-clients. Round 14 reported an average of 83.7% among clients and 81.7% among non-clients. The evaluation associates Round 13 with Statistics Canada’s Evaluation of the Community Futures Business Performance for 2016–2020, and Round 14 with its evaluation for 2017–2021. Source: PacifiCan, “Regional evaluation of the Community Futures Program,” Section 4.3 and footnotes 23–24
| Evaluation round | CFP clients, 5-year average survival | Non-clients, 5-year average survival |
|---|---|---|
| Round 13 | 96.9% | 89.7% |
| Round 14 | 83.7% | 81.7% |
Source: PacifiCan, “Regional evaluation of the Community Futures Program,” Section 4.3 and footnotes 23–24.
These are separate round-specific comparisons, not consecutive measurements of one group followed over time. The cited material does not establish that the cohorts, methods, or comparison conditions were identical across rounds. Round 12 cites unpublished Statistics Canada National Data, while Rounds 13 and 14 cite evaluations covering 2016–2020 and 2017–2021. The reported values document each evaluation’s findings; they do not explain differences across rounds or establish a causal effect of client status. Source: PacifiCan, “Regional evaluation of the Community Futures Program,” Section 4.3 and footnotes 22–24
business survival in British Columbia: Canadian new-firm survival context by duration
The B.C. Community Futures figures concern regional program comparisons. Separate national context comes from an ISED study of 13 Canadian entrant cohorts established between 2002 and 2014. Across those cohorts, an average of 98% of new firms survived after 1 year, 63% after 5 years, and 43% after 10 years. These Canada-wide averages are not British Columbia estimates. Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Section 3.1.2
| Duration after entry | Average survival across the studied Canadian cohorts |
|---|---|
| 1 year | 98% |
| 5 years | 63% |
| 10 years | 43% |
Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Section 3.1.2.
The report also gives selected cohort results at other durations. The 2002 cohort had a 3-year survival rate of 75%, compared with 82% for the 2011 cohort. At 7 years, the 2002 cohort recorded 53%, while the 2007 cohort recorded 55%. These observations refer to different entrant cohorts at specified durations; the report figures do not identify a reason for the differences. Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Section 3.1.2
In this study, a business birth means a new business number with positive employment for the first time, not identified as a successor. The study retained entrants with fewer than 100 employees. Its rates describe firms within that administrative definition and population, rather than all business activity or every form of self-employment. The 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year values are averages across the studied cohorts; the 3-year and 7-year values refer to the specific entrant years above. None is a forecast or a province-specific rate. Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” methodology and Section 3.1.2
business survival in British Columbia: Canadian new-firm survival by industry
ISED’s industry table reports average Canadian entrant survival at 10 years (T+10) for the 2002–2014 cohorts. The categories and percentages below follow the report. They provide national context, not estimates for British Columbia industries. Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Table 2
| Industry or sector | Average survival at T+10 |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 52% |
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 53% |
| Construction | 45% |
| Manufacturing | 45% |
| Wholesale trade | 47% |
| Retail trade | 38% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 43% |
| Information and cultural industries | 49% |
| Finance and insurance | 50% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 57% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 56% |
| Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services | 41% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 42% |
| Accommodation and food services | 31% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 31% |
| Goods sector | 46% |
| Services sector | 42% |
Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Table 2, T+10 column.
Among the listed categories, reported T+10 survival ranges from 31% for accommodation and food services and other services (except public administration) to 57% for real estate and rental and leasing. Professional, scientific and technical services is 56%; mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction is 53%; agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is 52%; and finance and insurance is 50%. Retail trade is 38%, while administrative and support, waste management and remediation services is 41%. These are comparisons among the report’s national cohort categories, with each percentage tied to its stated industry classification and duration. Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Table 2, T+10 column
The other displayed results are information and cultural industries at 49%, wholesale trade at 47%, goods sector at 46%, construction and manufacturing at 45% each, and transportation and warehousing at 43%. Arts, entertainment and recreation and the services sector are each 42%. The goods and services figures are sector aggregates in the same table. These comparisons describe the Canadian cohorts and do not establish the same ordering among businesses in British Columbia. Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Table 2, T+10 column
business survival in British Columbia: Canadian new-firm survival by entrant size
The ISED report describes failure among Canadian entrants by their initial employment size. During the first 3 years of formation, an average of 23% of entrants with 1–4 employees failed. For entrants with 20–99 employees, about 14% failed during that period. These are failure shares, not survival rates; the report presents the latter figure as approximate. Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Section 3.3.2
At 10 years, more than 57% of Canadian new firms that started with 1–4 employees had failed on average. Among firms starting with over 20 employees, fewer than 50% had failed after 10 years. The report describes entrants born larger as having higher survival. These statements retain the source’s employee thresholds and failure framing; they are not B.C.-specific size estimates and do not establish that initial size alone explains outcomes. Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Section 3.3.2
The early and longer-duration observations use different employee groupings and time windows: 1–4 and 20–99 employees during the first 3 years, then 1–4 employees and over 20 employees after 10 years. Keeping those groupings intact avoids implying a matched comparison between identical categories at both durations. The 10-year statements are failure shares, so they remain expressed that way rather than being converted into precise survival percentages. These are findings about Canadian entrants in the study, not firms in British Columbia specifically. Source: ISED, “Canadian New Firms: Birth and Survival Rates over the Period 2002–2014,” Section 3.3.2