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February 17, 2026WHOLESALE TRADE, DECEMBER AND ANNUAL 2025 The wholesale trade data reported below now excludes petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons as well as oilseed and grain.
Monthly (seasonally adjusted, December 2025 vs November 2025)
Nova Scotia wholesale trade declined 8.1% to $1.18 billion. National wholesale trade increased 2.0% to $86.14 billion. Five provinces reported increases in December with Québec reporting the fastest gain, while Nova Scotia reported the steepest decline.
Year-over-year (seasonally adjusted, December 2025 vs December 2024)
Nova Scotia wholesale trade declined 1.6% in December when compared with the same month last year. Canada's wholesale trade grew 2.4% year-over-year. Seven provinces reported year-over-year increases in wholesale trade led by Saskatchewan, with Newfoundland and Labrador reporting the largest decline.
Annual (2025 vs 2024)
Nova Scotia wholesale trade increased 5.2% in 2025 compared to 2024. Canada's wholesale trade increased 2.9%. All provinces reported annual increases in wholesale trade. Newfoundland and Labrador reported the fastest gain while Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and Manitoba all reported slower growth.
Food and beverage wholesale represents the largest share of Nova Scotia's reported wholesale trade categories, followed by building materials.
Motor vehicles and parts saw the largest percentage increase in annual wholesale trade, while miscellaneous wholesale merchant sales were down.
Annual wholesale trade reached $15.14 billion in 2025, a 5.2% increase from 2024.
Trends
National wholesale trade (excluding petroleum products and oilseed and grains) has slowed in 2025. Nova Scotia's growth in wholesale trade fell behind the national rate in December, the first time this occurred since October 2023.
Wholesale inventories as a share of sales have increased in 2025, growing to a value of 1.59 in December 2025.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 20-10-0074-01 Wholesale trade, sales (x 1,000); Table 20-10-0076-01 Wholesale trade, inventories (x 1,000)
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