Canada’s culture and sport trade deficit widens as 2024 imports outpace exports
New 2024 data show rising cross-border culture and sport trade, but faster import growth widened Canada’s sector deficit to C$11.2 billion.
Statistics Canada reported that Canadian international trade in culture and sport products expanded in 2024, with combined exports rising 3.3% to C$28.4 billion after a 3.4% decline in 2023. Combined imports increased 5.4% to C$39.6 billion, leaving a C$11.2 billion trade deficit as import growth exceeded export growth by C$1.1 billion. [1]
Culture products accounted for most of the trade. Exports increased 2.2% from 2023 to C$26.1 billion, supported by live performance and education and training. Live-performance exports rose 32.0% to C$1.1 billion as the segment continued its recovery from the pandemic, while education and training exports climbed 19.3% to a record C$1.5 billion, alongside a peak in international study-permit holders. [1]
Imports of culture products grew 4.4% to C$36.7 billion. Statistics Canada said every culture domain recorded growth, with written and published works, visual and applied arts, and live performance among the main contributors. Culture products represented 2.6% of Canada’s total goods-and-services exports and 3.6% of imports in 2024, underscoring that the trade imbalance was concentrated in an economically meaningful, though specialized, component of international commerce. [1]
Sport-product trade grew at a faster rate for a second consecutive year. Exports reached C$2.3 billion, a C$341.0 million annual increase, led by education and training, organized sport, and governance, funding and professional-support activities. Imports rose C$481.4 million to C$2.9 billion, driven chiefly by governance, funding and professional support and organized sport. [1]
The United States remained Canada’s largest trading partner for culture and sport products, accounting for 62.9% of exports and 57.8% of imports. Its share nevertheless declined in 2024, while China, India and the European Union increased their portions of Canadian exports in these categories. The figures point to some diversification in destination markets even as the United States retains a dominant role in this cross-border trade. [1]
Provincial data show Ontario as the largest contributor to both culture and sport trade, with C$15.9 billion in culture exports and C$1.1 billion in sport exports. British Columbia recorded C$4.5 billion in culture exports and C$620.6 million in sport exports, while Quebec exported C$3.9 billion in culture products and C$194.4 million in sport products. [1]
The release provides a detailed benchmark for a trade segment where imports continued to outpace exports, widening the combined culture-and-sport deficit to C$11.2 billion in 2024. Exposure is greatest for businesses and institutions active in cultural production, live performance, education and sport-related services, particularly in the United States-facing market. The significance is moderate because the report measures 2024 trade outcomes rather than announcing a new tariff, regulatory restriction or bilateral policy change. [1]