The sharing economy could play an increasingly important part in Canada’s overall economy, says Statistics Canada in a report published on Tuesday.

The sharing economy in Canada aims to measure the impact of the sharing economy. The report defines the sharing economy as “an activity facilitated by digital platforms” where people rent their skills or make their resources available for money.

It estimates that 9.5% of Canadian adults participated in the sharing economy between Nov. 2015 and October 2016 by using ride-sharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, and rental accommodation services such as Airbnb.

Overall, spending on these services totalled $1.31 billion, both in Canada and abroad, the report says, with more than $1 billion spent on private accommodation services, and $241 million spent on ride sharing. Of the total spending on private accommodation services, $367 million was spent in Canada, the report notes, while $698 million was spent outside of Canada.

Despite these relatively modest numbers, the report says the sharing economy “has the potential to play an increasingly important role in the Canadian economy.”

Younger Canadians are much more apt to use ride-sharing services, the report notes, with 14.6% of people aged 25 to 34, and 13.5% of those aged 18 to 24, using these services. Conversely, just 2.1% of people aged 55 and older report using these services.

Similarly, Canadians aged 25 to 34 are the biggest users of private accommodation services (8.6%), followed by those aged 35 to 44 (4.8%), and 18 to 24 (4.4%). Again, just 2.1% of those aged 55 and older say that they have used these services.

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