Quebec\u2019s economy was slightly smaller in January 2026 than it was the year before amid a decline in the province\u2019s sector, Quebec\u2019s statistics agency said Tuesday. <\/p>\n
The Institut de la statistique du Qu\u00e9bec said Quebec\u2019s real gross domestic product was down 0.7 per cent in January 2026 when compared to January 2025 as the manufacturing sector\u2019s contribution to GDP shrank by 5.5 per cent.<\/p>\n
January 2025 was a particularly busy month for economic activity, Desjardins economist Sonny Scarfone said in a research note.<\/p>\n
\u201cJanuary 2025 remains, to date, the month with the highest level of economic activity, as several exporters advanced shipments ahead of the anticipated introduction of tariffs<\/a>,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThis pattern is reflected in subsequent sectoral trends: goods-producing industries are down 3.7 per cent year-over-year, while services have posted modest growth of 0.3 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n The ISQ says month-over-month economic growth was flat in Quebec in January as the province\u2019s goods-producing sector grew by 0.1 per cent from December 2025, but service industries shrank by 0.1 per cent.<\/p>\n The province\u2019s economy grew by 0.3 per cent in December \u2014 the first increase in three months.<\/p>\n