IBISWorld Platform
Answer any industry question in minutes with our entire database at your fingertips.
Canada Province economic profile
Quebec - Economic Profile
Statistics, economic information and rankings for this Central Canadian province
In 2026, the province of Quebec has a population of 9,159,659, having grown an annualized 1.3% over the five years to 2026, which ranks it 10th out of 13 provinces and territories by growth rate. Quebec's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026 reached $457.0b, with growth of 1.7% over the 5 years to 2026. Businesses in Quebec employed a total of 3,004,301 people in 2026, with average annual employment growth over the past five years of 1.8%. The top three sectors by total employment are Manufacturing, Real Estate & Rental & Leasing in Canada, Healthcare & Social Assistance in Canada, while the unemployment rate across the province in 2026 was 6.0%.
Access this data your way
The Quebec economic profile is available in multiple formats to fit seamlessly into your workflow.
Province economic profile
Quebec Economic Overview
$457.0b
Gross province product
9,159,659
Population
656,346
Businesses
Province economic profile
Quebec Industry Trends
Learn about current trends affecting the most significant industries for Quebec's province economy, down to the county level. IBISWorld offers provincial industry research reports across all 13 provinces and territories, including 422 industries in Quebec.
What are Quebec's Largest Industries by Revenue?
The largest industries by revenue in Quebec are Commercial Banking, New Car Dealers and Gasoline & Petroleum Wholesaling, which generated $84.3b, $44.2b and $40.8b in 2026.
| Industry | 2026 revenue | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Commercial Banking | $84.3b |
| 2. | New Car Dealers | $44.2b |
| 3. | Gasoline & Petroleum Wholesaling | $40.8b |
| 4. | Supermarkets & Grocery Stores | $31.8b |
| 5. | Gasoline & Petroleum Bulk Stations | $29.7b |
| 6. | Life Insurance & Annuities | $28.8b |
| 7. | Automobile Wholesaling | $23.2b |
| 8. | IT Consulting | $20.6b |
| 9. | Heavy Engineering Construction | $19.6b |
| 10. | Pharmaceuticals & Pharmacy Supplies Wholesaling | $19.4b |
Province economic profile
Top Companies in Quebec
Learn about current trends affecting the top companies in Quebec.
Top 10 Companies Headquartered in Quebec by Employment
The largest companies by employment in Quebec are Government of Quebec, Metro and The Desjardins Group, which employed 87,000, 72,000 and 55,290 people in 2026.
| Company | 2026 employment | Share of employment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Government of Quebec | 87,000 | 2.9% |
| 2. | Metro | 72,000 | 2.4% |
| 3. | The Desjardins Group | 55,290 | 1.8% |
| 4. | Bank Of Montreal | 53,597 | 1.8% |
| 5. | Empire Company Limited | 53,245 | 1.8% |
| 6. | Air Canada | 36,900 | 1.2% |
| 7. | Hydro-Quebec | 21,168 | 0.7% |
| 8. | Bce Inc. | 12,223 | 0.4% |
| 9. | Rio Tinto | 8,000 | 0.3% |
| 10. | Saputo | 7,000 | 0.2% |
Province economic profile
Quebec Sector Statistics
In Quebec, certain sectors drive a higher share of provincial GDP and employ more workers than others. However, simply looking at raw numbers doesn't always tell the whole story. Factoring in the current year growth percentage, in addition to the annualized growth percentage over the past five years, will give you a deeper understanding of the economic situation.
What is Quebec's GDP by Sector?
The Manufacturing, Real Estate & Rental & Leasing in Canada and Healthcare & Social Assistance in Canada sectors contributed the most to Quebec's GDP in 2026, representing a combined 32.8% of provincial GDP.
GDP trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are contributing the most value-add to the provincial economy, in addition to how the provincial economy is evolving over time.
| Sector | GDP | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 53,709,433,810 | -0.9% | -0.3% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing in Canada | 52,757,852,292 | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance in Canada | 44,070,257,300 | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services in Canada | 37,300,628,899 | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Public Administration in Canada | 37,151,225,833 | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Finance & Insurance in Canada | 30,776,263,914 | 2.5% | 2.2% |
| Construction | 29,993,157,037 | 0.2% | -0.5% |
| Educational Services | 28,746,745,200 | 2.7% | 2.1% |
| Retail Trade | 27,151,645,873 | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| Wholesale Trade | 24,273,056,850 | 0.4% | -0.5% |
| Transportation & Warehousing in Canada | 20,151,694,495 | 4.6% | 7.1% |
| Information | 13,519,833,156 | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| Utilities | 11,687,513,411 | -2.8% | -2.7% |
| Administration, Business Support & Waste Management Services | 10,742,979,095 | -0.4% | -0.1% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 9,948,224,576 | 2.3% | 3.7% |
| Accommodation & Food Services in Canada | 9,471,308,784 | 5.0% | 7.8% |
| Mining | 6,591,540,176 | 3.5% | 2.7% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting in Canada | 6,478,517,723 | 1.3% | 0.9% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation in Canada | 4,470,841,418 | 8.0% | 11.9% |
What is Quebec's Employment by Sector?
The Retail Trade, Manufacturing and Accommodation & Food Services in Canada sectors contributed the most to employment in Quebec in 2026, representing a combined 42.4% of provincial employment.
Employment trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are growing or contracting most rapidly relative to the provincial economy as a whole.
| Sector | Employment | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Trade | 530,528 | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| Manufacturing | 414,880 | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| Accommodation & Food Services in Canada | 322,301 | 1.2% | 6.8% |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance in Canada | 298,471 | 1.5% | 2.7% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services in Canada | 234,673 | 1.9% | 1.7% |
| Wholesale Trade | 208,738 | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| Administration, Business Support & Waste Management Services | 168,186 | 0.0% | 2.3% |
| Transportation & Warehousing in Canada | 156,279 | 1.6% | 4.1% |
| Construction | 130,038 | 0.9% | 2.5% |
| Finance & Insurance in Canada | 121,337 | 1.9% | 1.3% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting in Canada | 85,308 | 0.9% | 1.4% |
| Educational Services | 68,226 | 0.8% | -0.4% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 67,531 | 2.5% | 2.1% |
| Information | 62,698 | 1.5% | 2.9% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation in Canada | 44,530 | 3.9% | 8.4% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing in Canada | 42,172 | 1.4% | 2.2% |
| Utilities | 21,606 | 7.4% | 2.7% |
| Mining | 10,873 | -2.8% | 1.9% |
Province economic profile
Quebec Employment Trends
3.0m
Employment
6.0%
Unemployment
What Employment Trends are Impacting Quebec?
The province of Quebec employs 3,004,301 people in 2026, which ranks it 2nd out of 13 provinces and territories. Employment in Quebec has grown at an annualized rate of 2.4% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the national average of 1.6%. Major sectors by employment in Quebec include Retail Trade, Manufacturing and Accommodation & Food Services in Canada, which employed 530,528, 414,880 and 322,301 people in 2026, respectively. Quebec's unemployment rate is 6.0% in 2026, which ranks it 7th out of 13 provinces and territories. Quebec's unemployment rate has trended downwards at a rate of -0.3% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the Canada economy as a whole.
Employment trends indicate the degree of tightness or slack in labor markets, in addition to the overall strength of an economy. Faster employment growth typically indicates a strong and growing economy, while lower unemployment tends to imply tightness in labor markets.
You can track unemployment trends in Quebec, and compare them to the Canada economy, using the chart below.
$87.1k
Per capita disposable income
What is Quebec's Per Capita Disposable Income?
Per capita disposable income, also known as disposable personal income (DPI), is the amount of money that the average person in an economy has available for spending and saving after accounting for income taxes. Quebec's DPI in 2026 was $87.1k, compared to the Canadian average of $120.6k, which places it 9th out of 13 provinces and territories.
Disposable income is regarded as a key economic indicator as trends in disposable income are indicative of the level of aggregate demand, the state of labor markets and the financial strength of households.
You can track trends in Quebec's per capita disposable income, and compare it to the Canadian average, using the chart below.
Province economic profile
Quebec Construction & Building Trends
$1.2b
Nonresidential construction
$3.5b
Residential construction
54,624
Building permits
What can construction trends tell you about a province’s economy?
In Quebec, non-residential construction was $1.2b in 2026, which ranks it 4th out of 13 provinces and territories. Residential construction was $3.5b in 2026, which places Quebec 6th out of 13 provinces and territories. The number of building permits issued in Quebec in 2026 was 54,624, representing a -5.1% annualized growth rate between 2021 and 2026.
Trends in the construction sector are important because it creates jobs, income and tax revenue for a province. In addition, construction sector activity impacts other sectors in its supply chain, including manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing, transportation, and real estate, rental and leasing services. Therefore, construction trends are important indicators of the health of an economy.
You can track trends in the number of building permits issued in Quebec, and compare it to trends in the number issued in Canada as a whole, using the chart below.
Province economic profile
Quebec Population Statistics
Which Counties in Quebec have the Largest Populations?
The counties with the highest populations in Quebec are Montréal, Québec and Sherbrooke, which had populations of 3,976,714, 723,725 and 204,730 people in 2026.
| Region | 2026 population | Annual growth 2021-26 | Share of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal | 4.0m | 1.9% | 43.4% |
| Québec | 723.7k | 1.0% | 7.9% |
| Sherbrooke | 204.7k | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| Trois-Rivières | 143.3k | 0.9% | 1.6% |
| Saguenay | 138.7k | 0.5% | 1.5% |
Province economic profile
Quebec Demographics
In Quebec, 15.8% of the population has a Bachelors or higher.
Education level in Quebec
| Education level | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Bachelors or higher | 15.8 |
| Primary Education | 5.7 |
| Other | 78.6 |
Quebec Province industry reports
IBISWorld Province Industry Reports help you quickly understand how an industry performs at the province level compared with the national level, with accurate and unbiased industry information with a local focus. Use this collection to:
- Discover key local industry trends
- Identify threats and opportunities at the subnational level
- Inform your business strategies and planning
See our list of 422 Quebec industry reports.
Other provinces to explore
Compare Quebec’s economy with other provinces in Canada.
Cut through the noise with intelligence you can trust
