Canadian household net worth tops $19 trillion as gains concentrate

A $13,785 rise in net worth per Canadian lifted the national household average to $462,336 in the second quarter of 2026, according to Statistics Canada's national balance sheet and financial flow accounts.

Household net worth rose 2.9% to eclipse $19 trillion as equity markets lifted asset valuations. The ratio of financial to non-financial assets reached its highest level since 2000, at $1.24 in financial assets for every dollar of non-financial assets. The richest wealth quintile held 69.0% of financial assets and 49.7% of non-financial assets, showing gains were not equally shared.

Household liabilities rose 1.3%, with residential mortgages making up almost three-quarters of household debt. Debt as a share of total household assets fell to 14.8%, the lowest since the first quarter of 2022. Seasonally adjusted household credit market borrowing slowed by $5.0 billion to $29.4 billion. Mortgage borrowing fell to $19.4 billion, the slowest pace since the first quarter of 2024.

Household credit market debt rose to $3,280.9 billion, while debt as a proportion of disposable income fell to 176.4%. The debt service ratio declined to 14.52%, as income growth of 2.1% outpaced total debt payments growth of 1.0%.

Households bought $53.8 billion in mutual fund shares, part of a four-quarter run that included three of the five highest investment-fund inflows on record. Residential real estate value edged up 0.4% to $8,523.3 billion. Total resale transaction values rose 7.2% seasonally adjusted, but the quarter marked the weakest second-quarter real estate sales since 2021.

Government borrowing also shaped the quarter. The federal government's demand for funds stayed above $30 billion, and non-residents bought over $81 billion in government bonds, including a record $61.3 billion net purchase of federal bonds. Total government gross debt per capita reached $105,455, above nominal GDP per capita of $83,003.

Canada's national net worth rose $1,121.0 billion to $20,302.4 billion, a record. The international investment position increased $619.2 billion to $1,945.5 billion, the largest quarterly gain on record, helped by revaluations tied to foreign stock market gains.