Central government debt, total in Canada
Canada: Central government debt, total was 64.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Central government debt, total in Canada, 1990–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, central government debt, total in Canada stood at 64.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.1% on the previous year and up 24.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Canada peaked at 78.0% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 39.2%, in 2007.
That places Canada 29th out of 83 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Central government debt, total in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 61.8% | — |
| 1991 | 67.4% | +9.2% |
| 1992 | 70.7% | +4.8% |
| 1993 | 75.2% | +6.3% |
| 1994 | 75.9% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 77.3% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 78.0% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 74.9% | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 72.5% | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 66.2% | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 58.7% | -11.3% |
| 2001 | 57.5% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 54.1% | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 51.3% | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 46.8% | -8.7% |
| 2005 | 46.1% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 43.3% | -6.0% |
| 2007 | 39.2% | -9.5% |
| 2008 | 45.3% | +15.7% |
| 2009 | 53.2% | +17.4% |
| 2010 | 53.1% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 54.1% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 55.7% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 53.2% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 51.5% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 56.0% | +8.8% |
| 2016 | 56.0% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 54.5% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 53.1% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 53.4% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 74.6% | +39.7% |
| 2021 | 68.8% | -7.8% |
| 2022 | 59.4% | -13.6% |
| 2023 | 60.5% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 64.1% | +6.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.0% | 61.8% | 78.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.5% | 39.2% | 58.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.1% | 51.5% | 56.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.5% | 59.4% | 74.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More economy & growth data for Canada
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.8812 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 1.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1752 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 9,759 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 0.7104 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3218 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 17,922 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 2.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.4499 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Canada?
- Central government debt, total in Canada was 64.1% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 78.0% in 1996.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.2% in 2007.
- How does Canada rank for central government debt, total?
- Canada ranks 29th out of 83 countries with data for 2024.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.