Life Sciences

Toronto is one of the top cities in North America for the human health sciences, combining research, clinical, and business expertise to advance healthcare and grow innovative companies. The city’s life sciences sector employs more than 30,000 professionals and contributes more than $3.5 billion to the local economy.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

  • Contribution to GDP from Toronto’s life sciences sector was $3.6 billion in 2023, a 24% increase from 2022 ($2.9 billion) and a new record (the previous high was $3.3 billion in 2012).
  • Five-year GDP growth (2018 to 2023) was 8.2%, compared to 2.8% for all industries over the same period.
  • Toronto produces 42% of the GTA’s and 27% of Ontario’s life sciences economic output.

Employment

  • Employment in Toronto’s life sciences sector was 30,490 in 2023, a 35% increase from 2022 (22,650) and the highest since 2015 (32,300).
  • The five-year employment growth (2018 to 2023) was 3.7%, compared to 3.0% for all industries over the same period.
  • Toronto employs 44% of the GTA’s, 27% of Ontario’s and 14% of Canada’s life sciences workers.

Concentration of Jobs

    • The location quotient for Toronto’s life sciences sector in 2023 was 1.40, compared to 1.62 for the GTA and 1.29 for Ontario.

    Distribution of Jobs in the Life Sciences Sector

    • Paid Researchers in Hospitals – 32.3%
    • Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing – 20.5%
    • Medical & Diagnostic Laboratories – 17.3%
    • Research & Development Services – 8.8%
    • Pharmaceuticals & Pharmacy Supply Wholesale – 7.9%
    • Medical Instruments Manufacturing – 6.8%
    • Medical Equipment & Supplies Manufacturing – 6.4%

    Wages

    • The average annual wage for a life sciences sector employee in Toronto was $90,459 in 2023, compared to 86,308 for the GTA.
    • In 2023, the entire sector paid out $2.7 billion in wages, compared to $6.0 billion for the GTA.

    [Data source:Statistics Canada – 2006 & 2016 Census, 2011 National Household Survey, Labour Force Survey, Canadian Business Counts, Gross Domestic Product 36-10-0402-01 (formerly CANSIM 379-0030]

    • adMare BioInnovations
      Canada-wide life sciences incubator offering commercial expertise, specialized R&D infrastructure, and seed capital.
    • Biomedical Zone
      Incubator that helps early-stage health technology companies iterate their technology, refine their business model, and demonstrate clinical value in a hospital setting.
    • Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM)
      Commercialization organization specializing in living therapies, enabling product and process development through expertise and infrastructure.
    • Centre for Innovation in Health & Wellness, Humber College
      Academic incubator focusing on innovations in health equity and chronic disease.
    • Creative Destruction Lab – Toronto
      Provides startups with access to business development support from top business students at the Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto), funding from leading venture capital firms, and resources to scale their enterprise.
    • DMZ
      A leading business incubator for tech startups in Canada, the DMZ help startups build their businesses by connecting them with customers, capital, experts and a community of entrepreneurs and influencers.
    • Discovery District
      A 2.5-square kilometre (1.6-square mile) research park in the heart of Toronto’s downtown core, the Discovery District is home to the University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, the MaRS Centre and several hospitals. The concentration of research and clinical excellence in this area makes it an ideal place to grow a small company.
    • The Entrepreneurship Hatchery
      An incubation program in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Engineering that provides resources and mentorship to help students turn their ideas into successful start-ups.
    • FACIT
      A commercialization organization offering funding and support for cancer-related innovations in Ontario.
    • Health Innovation Hub
      Located in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, the Health Innovation Hub facilitates the translation of discoveries and ideas into problem-solving designs that impact positively on health matters.
    • Humber Centre for Entrepreneurship
      Located at Humber College, the Centre provides experiential learning opportunities including interactive workshops, networking events and startup competitions.
    • The Imagination Catalyst
      Incubator that provides business development guidance and support for professional artists as well as maker-based, design-focused start-up entrepreneurs.
    • Impact Centre
      Located within the University of Toronto, the Centre provides technical and early-stage guidance to help researchers and graduate students take their discoveries from the lab to the marketplace.
    • JLABS
      A Johnson & Johnson business initiative that provides a platform for emerging companies to transform scientific discoveries into healthcare products.
    • LaunchYU 
      Launched by Innovation York and the Lassonde School of Engineering, the entrepreneurship hub provides space for collaborative entrepreneurial endeavours and related events.
    • ONRamp
      Connects entrepreneurs across University of Toronto entrepreneurship hubs with partner organizations to help them accelerate their businsses with access to space, events and networks.
    • Québec-Ontario Life Sciences Corridor
      Launched in 2011 as a joint initiative of Life Sciences Ontario and Biopolis Québec, the Québec-Ontario Life Sciences Corridor establishes the region as a major life sciences cluster in North America, supporting the advancement of life sciences discovery and related commercialization.
    • StartGBC
      Operates a co-working space at George Brown College that connects students, alumni and the community with resources, programs and support to foster a culture of entrepreneurship.
    • Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP)
      Non-profit organization that acts on behalf of its members—five of Toronto’s top universities, institutions and research institutes, plus the MaRS Discovery District—to bring promising research breakthroughs to market.
    • Triphase Accelerator Corporation
      Drug development accelerator that acquires and develops novel therapeutics
    • UTEST
      University of Toronto program that provides companies with investment capital, mentoring, business strategy and incubation space.
    • Wearable, Interactive and Mobile Technology Access Centre in Health (WIMTACH)
      Federally funded Technology Access Centre at Centennial College, focusing on taking digital health products from the idea stage to the commercialization stage.
    • York Entrepreneurship Development Institute
      Program that provides academic lectures, workshop-based training in entrepreneurship, and mentorship by key industry leaders.