Average net worth by age in Canada (2026)

According to Statistics Canada's Survey of Financial Security (SFS) 2023, the average (mean) Canadian family net worth is $995,900. By age of the main income earner the averages are: Under 35: $459,800 | 35–44: $753,500 | 45–54: $1,150,800 | 55–64: $1,347,300 (peak) | 65+: $1,204,500. The medians for the same bands are lower — $159,100 | $409,300 | $675,800 | $873,400 | $738,900, against a national median of $519,700 — because a small number of very wealthy families pull the average up. Both series are published by StatCan (averages in table 11-10-0016-01, medians in the SFS release). For judging whether you personally are on track, use the median for your age band; the under-35 median rose 179% from 2019 to 2023, driven largely by pandemic-era real estate gains.

At age 35–44 the average net worth in Canada is $753,500 and the median is $409,300 (Statistics Canada SFS 2023) — the average is 1.84× the median because a small number of very wealthy households pull it up. In BC (provincial median: $773,500) and Ontario ($665,600), real estate equity is typically the largest single component of a 35-year-old household's net worth. Households without real estate in those provinces fall far below the provincial median, which is why the median is the fairer benchmark at this age.

Canadians aged 35–44 (which includes age 40) have an average net worth of $753,500 and a median of $409,300 (SFS 2023). Both figures are published by Statistics Canada; the percentile breakpoints shown in the tool are Richify modelled estimates, because StatCan publishes the median and the average by age but not percentiles by age. Home equity is the dominant component in BC and Ontario — a 40-year-old who bought a Vancouver or GTA home a decade ago may have $500,000+ in equity alone. Nationally, 39% of Canadian families held a mortgage in 2023, with median mortgage debt of $205,000.

The overall Canadian median is $519,700 and the average is $995,900 (SFS 2023). For the 35–44 age group, the median (50th percentile) is $409,300 and the average $753,500, both from StatCan; the higher percentile bands in the tool (75th, 90th) are Richify modelled estimates, since StatCan publishes the median and average by age but not percentiles by age. Reaching the top quartile for your age group is considered strong. What counts as 'good' also depends on your retirement goal — a household targeting $1.5M in investable (non-home) net worth needs very different savings rates depending on current age. Use the tool above for your specific age group.

A small number of very wealthy households pull the mean dramatically upward. For 45–54 year olds the median net worth is $675,800 while the average is $1,150,800 (SFS 2023) — a 1.70× gap, meaning well over half of households in that band sit below the average. Nationally the average is $995,900 against a $519,700 median, a 1.92× gap. Neither figure is wrong; they answer different questions. The median is the better benchmark for where a 'typical' Canadian household stands, and the average is the right figure for total wealth per household or for cross-country comparisons.

Both. The headline SFS 2023 release table shows total and median net worth by age, which is why the median is the figure most often quoted. The underlying data table, 11-10-0016-01, additionally carries an 'Average value' statistic for the net worth line at every age group — that is the source of the $995,900 national average and the by-age averages on this page. The two reconcile: StatCan's published total family net worth of $16.78 trillion divided by 16.85 million family units gives $995,851, matching the published $995,900 average. What StatCan does not publish is percentile thresholds by age, so the 25th, 75th and 90th percentile bands in the tool above are Richify modelled estimates rather than official figures.

Yes — $995,900 is the correct arithmetic average of Canadian family net worth in the SFS 2023 data, and it is close to but still below $1 million. It surprises people because it is roughly double the $519,700 median, and because net worth here includes the principal residence and registered pension entitlements, not just savings. It does not mean a typical Canadian family holds anywhere near $1 million: fewer than half of families reach the average at any age, and under 35 the average of $459,800 is 2.89× that band's $159,100 median. If a headline quotes the Canadian 'average net worth' near $1 million and you feel far behind, the median for your age band is the figure you should actually be measuring against.

Real estate. SFS 2023 shows BC's median household net worth is $773,500 — the highest in Canada — followed by Ontario at $665,600. Both are far above the national median of $519,700. In Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area, decades of real estate appreciation mean many homeowners hold $500,000–$800,000 in home equity alone, even with modest incomes. By contrast, New Brunswick's median is $286,200 — less than 40% of BC's figure.

The SFS 2023 highlights a stark gap: for family units under 35, the median with a principal residence is $457,100 — but without one, it drops to just $44,000. Read that gap carefully: it compares two different GROUPS — owners against non-owners — and is not a decomposition of one household's balance sheet. Medians do not subtract, so it does not follow that the home is that share of an owner's wealth; owners also hold more of everything else. On the aggregate measure, home equity is 37% of net worth for family units under 35. This is why financial planners distinguish between 'total net worth' (including home equity) and 'investable net worth' (liquid assets that generate retirement income). A household with $700,000 net worth may only have $150,000 in investable assets if $550,000 is home equity.

According to SFS 2023, Canadian household net worth grew substantially from 2019 to 2023, primarily driven by real estate appreciation during the pandemic housing boom. The most dramatic increase was for under-35 family units, whose median net worth rose 179% from 2019 to 2023 — largely because younger households who bought homes in 2019–2021 saw massive equity gains. Provinces with the hottest real estate (BC and Ontario) saw the largest increases.