GoDaddy Names Alberta Canada's Most Entrepreneurial Province as Small Businesses Grow Nationwide

GoDaddy data reveals microbusiness growth across every province, with six recording increases of 15% or more in 2025. 

TORONTO, Aug. 24, 2026 /CNW/ -- Alberta has earned the title of Canada's most entrepreneurial province, according to fresh findings from the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab.

The province's microbusiness growth jumped 17% from the first to the fourth quarter of 2025, edging out Nova Scotia and Ontario, which each climbed 16%. The annual ranking tracks prior-year growth among active microbusinesses run by GoDaddy - firms with fewer than 10 employees. Western, Atlantic and Central Canada all landed in the top three, underscoring how entrepreneurship now spans the entire country.

Canada's Most Entrepreneurial Provinces

Rank	Province	Growth Q1-Q4, 2025
1	Alberta	17 %
2	Nova Scotia	16 %
3	Ontario	16 %
4	Newfoundland and Labrador	15 %
5	Manitoba	15 %
6	British Columbia	15 %
7	Quebec	13 %
8	New Brunswick	12 %
9	Saskatchewan	11 %
10	Prince Edward Island	9 %

Six provinces recorded growth of 15% or more, while every province posted gains. Even Prince Edward Island, which rounded out the ranking in tenth place, recorded healthy growth of 9%.

Canada's microbusinesses are intentionally lean. Ninety-two percent have fewer than 10 employees, and more than a quarter are run by solo owners. Only 28% say their venture is their primary income, while 38% use it to supplement other earnings. Half are first-time founders and one in four already manage more than one business, signalling a growing appetite to experiment, launch and scale ideas despite economic headwinds.

"Every province in Canada grew in 2025, and that signals a shift that entrepreneurial momentum in Canada isn't locked to any one region," said Alexandra Rosen, GoDaddy's small business economist. "Digital tools are lowering the barrier to entry, and what really stands out is the consistency, with six provinces topping 15% growth, and all 10 moving upward."

To explore the 2026 Most Entrepreneurial Provinces rankings or learn more about GoDaddy's Small Business Research Lab, visit GoDaddy Research.

About GoDaddy
GoDaddy, the world's largest domain name registrar, helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. Airo™, the company's agentic operating system for small businesses, helps entrepreneurs get their idea online, run their business day-to-day, and grow through an integrated identity, presence and commerce experience. GoDaddy's expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com. 

About GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab
The GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab analyzes more than 20 million online businesses with a digital presence, defined by a unique domain and active website. Most of these businesses employ fewer than ten people, classifying them as microbusinesses. Since 2019, the program has surveyed more than 70,000 entrepreneurs, making it a leading source of data and insights on microbusiness trends. To learn more, visit godaddy/research.

SOURCE GoDaddy

Thomas Costello, [email protected]