Takeout, anyone? Canadians spent billions on DoorDash last year

Canadians were hungry last year. And evidently, we were more than happy to pay someone else to do the cooking.

DoorDash Canada released its second Community Impact Report on Thursday, and wow, we were ordering in a lot.

Hungry and bleeding money, it seems.

According to the report, the millions of transactions on the delivery platform helped generate an estimated $5.1 billion in economic value across Canada last year. No big deal; it’s only more than the entire GDP of Greenland.

The consumer findings come from an online survey conducted by Pollara between June 29 and July 20, 2026. Invitations were sent using a database provided by DoorDash, and 2,172 consumers completed the survey.

The food delivery app saved Canadians more than 25 million hours by reducing the time spent cooking or travelling to restaurants. That’s enough time to drive the Trans-Canada Highway nearly 100,000 times, take 40 million gondola rides between Whistler and Blackcomb, or play roughly four million hockey games.

If you think about it, Canadians saved time to do more Canadian things.

We can’t ignore the accessibility benefits of apps like these, either.

Twenty-four per cent of Canadians surveyed said they used DoorDash to have a meal delivered, which can be particularly helpful for people living with mobility challenges who may have difficulty getting out to restaurants.

And it wasn’t just restaurants cashing in on our inability (or unwillingness) to make dinner at home. The report suggests delivery apps are playing a much bigger role in the Canadian economy, from helping local businesses grow to giving workers an additional source of income.

Merchants across Canada generated more than $2.5 billion in sales through DoorDash in 2025, while Dashers took home nearly $900 million in earnings, including tips.

Meanwhile, despite the high fees customers face when they want Chinese food, pizza or an alarming amount of dumplings from their favourite local spot, 70 per cent of merchants surveyed agree DoorDash has helped increase their overall revenue.

For many delivery workers, that money isn’t just extra cash for a weekend treat. Seventy-five per cent of Dashers surveyed say they’ve used their earnings to cover unexpected expenses.

There seems to be a significant gap in age and gender when it comes to the people delivering your food.

Just 29 per cent of Dashers are women, while 38 per cent are students between the ages of 18 and 24. The median age of a Dasher in Canada is 40.

DoorDash’s report also paints a picture of Canadians increasingly relying on delivery to make their busy, hectic lives a little easier.

For people working long hours, juggling family and chores, or simply trying to squeeze in a little more time for self-care, having dinner show up at the door is hard to resist.

In fact, 78 per cent of Canadians say DoorDash allows them to be more productive.

Another 72 per cent said the platform helps them support small businesses in their communities, while 80 per cent said they’ve discovered new restaurants or retailers through the app.

If this report makes you want to chill out and order in tonight, we don’t blame you.