A Sector Hidden in Plain Sight: New Data Reveals Canada’s Global Footprint

For decades, Canadian organizations have worked alongside communities around the world to respond to crises, improve health outcomes, advance gender equality, strengthen education systems, and build climate resilience.

Yet despite the scale of this work, there has never been a comprehensive way to understand Canada’s international cooperation sector as a whole.

Until now.

Today, Cooperation Canada is launching ATLAS (Advancing Transparency, Learning and Accountability in Solidarity), a new interactive platform that brings together data on the size, reach, priorities, and composition of Canada’s international cooperation sector.

What does the data reveal?

1. Canada’s global reach is larger than many realize

Over the past decade, Canadian organizations have worked in 131 countries, representing 93% of all ODA-eligible countries worldwide. Even more striking, Canadian organizations maintain partnerships in 40 countries where Canada has no resident diplomatic mission.

These partnerships help deliver development and humanitarian outcomes, but they also strengthen relationships, trust, and people-to-people connections that contribute to Canada’s engagement with the world.

2. The sector delivers impact at scale

International cooperation requires strong systems for accountability, compliance, safeguarding, and financial management.

Yet ATLAS reveals that approximately 85% of sector expenditures are directed toward programming and mission-related activities. At the same time, organizations collectively manage approximately $3.4 billion annually across some of the world’s most complex operating environments.

The data points to a sector that combines impact with stewardship.

3. Canadians continue to support global cooperation

International cooperation is not supported by governments alone.

Individual donations account for more than 40% of sector revenue, demonstrating sustained public support for organizations working to address global challenges.

This support reflects something important: Canadians continue to believe in the value of international cooperation and trust organizations to translate resources into meaningful action.

4. Resources are concentrated where needs are greatest

ATLAS shows that 72% of sector resources are directed to low- and lower-middle-income countries, while more than half of all expenditures are directed to Sub-Saharan Africa.

The data reveals a sector that remains firmly focused on communities facing some of the world’s greatest development and humanitarian challenges.

Why This Matters

For years, conversations about Canada’s international cooperation sector have relied on fragmented information and individual organizational stories.

ATLAS provides a sector-wide view.

It helps us better understand who makes up the sector, where organizations work, how resources flow, and how Canadians contribute to global cooperation.

Most importantly, it helps move conversations from assumptions to evidence.

The story the data tells is compelling.

A sector with footprints in 131 countries.

A sector mobilizing billions of dollars annually.

A sector supported by Canadians.

A sector helping build a more just, resilient, and prosperous world for communities globally and for Canadians at home.

For the first time, we can see that story in one place.

Explore Atlas and discover the data for yourself.