In Canada, over 50% of the population are buying online, but the market is still relatively small, at USD 19.9 billion. However, Canadian consumers show impressive trends towards cross-border activity. 45% of ecommerce spend goes to non-Canadian websites, with the US being the primary destination. The main reasons why Canadians shop cross-border are lower prices and better product selection on overseas websites. • Total Population - 35.1 million • Age Breakdown - 41% of the population in Canada are between 25 and 54. • Religion - Canada is a multi-cultured country with many religions. 38.7% are Roman Catholic. - Religious affiliation is decreasing; 23.9% do not identify with a religion, up from 16.5% in 2001. • Urban Population - 81% • Internet Penetration - 87% - 29.8 million people • Mobile Penetration - 78.9% - 27.7 million subscribers • Tablet Penetration - 7 million users - 20% • Smartphone Penetration - 75% • Online Shoppers - 18.5 million • Ecommerce Sales - USD 20.6 billion • Ecommerce Penetration - 52.7% • Mobile Commerce - 27% of smartphone users, 5.2 million people, make purchases on their mobile phone. Cross-border Ecommerce Opportunities • In Canada, a significant proportion of ecommerce spending goes to non-Canadian websites; 45% goes towards purchases from non-Canadian websites. One-third of the total is spent in the US, with the rest in Asia and Europe. • The trend of Canadians shopping overseas is driven by lower prices and better selection in other markets, cited by 41% and 23% of survey recipients, respectively. • Canadians can purchase products from the US Amazon website, with a price tag 50% lower or more. Even when duty and taxes are added the price is still favorable. Language as a Key Driver • The official languages of Canada are English and French, spoken by 56.9% and 21.3% of the population, respectively. • Over 85% of Canadians have working knowledge of English while only 30.1% have a working knowledge of French. • More than 200 languages are present in Canada. Chinese languages are the most prominent, with more than a million people speaking either Mandarin or Cantonese. Punjabi was listed as the next most common foreign language spoken in Canadian households, with 460 thousand declaring it as their mother tongue. • English is the most popular language online, with 26.8% share.