State of the Nation · 2026
State of the Nation
Canada should be the most prosperous country on earth. Here’s the current state of play.
Economy
GDP per capita
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, chained 2017 dollars
Canada
Source · Statistics Canada (table 36-10-0706)
Unemployment by age
Unemployment rate by age group
25–54
15–24
55–64
Source · Statistics Canada (table 14-10-0287)
New Business Creation
New businesses started per 1,000 people
Entrants per 1,000
Wage growth
Real hourly wages, average vs median (2026 dollars)
Average
Median
Source · Statistics Canada (table 14-10-0064)
Inflation
Inflation (CPI) vs 2% target
Inflation (12-month)
2% target
Source · Statistics Canada (table 18-10-0004)
Government Sustainability
Net debt
Government net debt (excl. CPP/QPP), share of GDP
Net debt (excl. pensions)
Public vs private jobs
Employment share by class of worker
Public sector
Private sector
Self-employed
Source · Statistics Canada (table 14-10-0288)
Housing
Housing Affordability
Mortgage debt service ratio, % of disposable income
Mortgage debt service ratio
Source · Statistics Canada (table 11-10-0065)
Housing Starts
Housing starts per 1,000 people
Starts per 1,000
Immigration
Canadians Leaving Canada
Emigrants, net of returning Canadians
Net emigration
Source · Statistics Canada (table 17-10-0008)
Admissions to Canada
Permanent residents admitted to Canada per year
PR admissions
Are we missing something?
We’re trying to answer the question: are we on the right track?
It’s a nuanced question. We can be growing our economy, but if our young people can’t buy a house and start a family, we’re not really prosperous. We care about prosperity in the broadest sense — so come tell us what we’re missing on X or email us at [email protected].