Economy - overview:
As a high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. In addition, the country's petroleum sector is rapidly expanding, because Alberta's oil sands significantly boosted Canada's proven oil reserves. Canada now ranks third in the world in proved oil reserves behind Venezuela and Saudi Arabia and is the world’s fifth-largest oil producer.The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US, its principal trading partner. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with the US, which absorbs about three-fourths of Canadian merchandise exports each year. Canada is the US's largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, and electric power, and a top source of US uranium imports.Given its abundant natural resources, highly skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoyed solid economic growth from 1993 through 2007. Buffeted by the global economic crisis, the economy dropped into a sharp recession in the final months of 2008, and Ottawa posted its first fiscal deficit in 2009 after 12 years of surplus. Canada's major banks, however, emerged from the financial crisis of 2008-09 among the strongest in the world, owing to the early intervention by the Bank of Canada and the financial sector's tradition of conservative lending practices and strong capitalization. Canada achieved marginal growth in 2010-15, despite the recent drop in oil prices.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): Gross national saving: GDP - composition, by end use: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Distribution of family income - Gini index: Budget: Taxes and other revenues: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): Public debt: Fiscal year: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: Exchange rates:
$1.674 trillion (2016 est.)
$1.655 trillion (2015 est.)
$1.638 trillion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: GDP country ranks ]
$1.532 trillion (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
1.2% (2016 est.)
1.1% (2015 est.)
2.5% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$46,200 (2016 est.)
$46,200 (2015 est.)
$46,100 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
country comparison to the world: 32
[see also: GDP - per capita country ranks ]
19.4% of GDP (2016 est.)
20.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
22% of GDP (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]
household consumption: 57.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 21.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 22.2%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: 0.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 31.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -33.6% (2016 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]
agriculture: 1.6%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 27.7%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 70.7% (2016 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]
wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; fish; forest products
transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum, natural gas
-0.3% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
19.42 million (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 2%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
manufacturing: 13%
construction: 6%
services: 76%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
other: 3% (2006 est.)
7.1% (2016 est.)
6.9% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
9.4%
note: this figure is the Low Income Cut-Off, a calculation that results in higher figures than found in many comparable economies; Canada does not have an official poverty line (2008 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: 2.6%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: 24.8% (2000)
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10% country ranks ]
32.1 (2005)
31.5 (1994)
country comparison to the world: 109
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
revenues: $594.7 billion
[see also: Budget revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $632.4 billion (2016 est.)
[see also: Budget expenditures country ranks ]
38.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]
-2.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]
98.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
98.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
note: figures are for gross general government debt, as opposed to net federal debt; gross general government debt includes both intragovernmental debt and the debt of public entities at the sub-national level
country comparison to the world: 16
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
1 April - 31 March
1.6% (2016 est.)
1.1% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
1% (31 December 2010)
0.25% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 124
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
2.7% (31 December 2016 est.)
2.78% (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$635.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$568.8 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$1.486 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
$1.47 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$2.932 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$2.642 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$1.593 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
$2.095 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
$2.114 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
-$56.73 billion (2016 est.)
-$48.97 billion (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$402.4 billion (2016 est.)
$411 billion (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum
US 76.7% (2015)
$419 billion (2016 est.)
$428.7 billion (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods
US 53.1%, China 12.2%, Mexico 5.8% (2015)
$82.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$79.75 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$1.608 trillion (31 March 2016 est.)
$1.55 trillion (31 March 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$1.099 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$1.065 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$1.334 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$1.256 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
Canadian dollars (CAD) per US dollar -
1.331 (2016 est.)
1.2788 (2015 est.)
1.2788 (2014 est.)
1.0298 (2013 est.)
0.9992 (2012 est.)