(Toronto) The metaverse could add between $45.3 billion and $85.5 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, according to a new report commissioned by Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
The document, prepared by consultancy Deloitte, calculates that the virtual interactive world known as the metaverse could account for 1.3% to 2.4% of the country’s GDP.
Meta has been one of the biggest companies to bet on the metaverse, and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, predicted that people would use it for work and socializing.
According to the Meta and Deloitte report, several Canadian companies are already using metaverse-like technology to train medical students in surgery and improve the online shopping experience.
As these efforts expand, their report suggests that the augmented and virtual reality technology market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.5% between 2022 and 2027.
However, an Ipsos study cited in the report indicated that less than a third of Canadians surveyed had a positive view of the metaverse.