Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in Canada
Canada: Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans was 95.08 Percentage of GDP in 2026. ▲ Rising
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in Canada, 1995–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
In 2026, government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Canada stood at 95.08 Percentage of GDP.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 29.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Canada peaked at 97.85 Percentage of GDP in 2021 and was at its lowest, 50.62 Percentage of GDP, in 2008.
Canada ranks 8th of 25 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in Canada, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 86.84 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 1996 | 87.44 Percentage of GDP | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 84.72 Percentage of GDP | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 78.08 Percentage of GDP | -7.8% |
| 1999 | 79.15 Percentage of GDP | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 67.23 Percentage of GDP | -15.1% |
| 2001 | 64.99 Percentage of GDP | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 66.08 Percentage of GDP | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 63.33 Percentage of GDP | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 61.69 Percentage of GDP | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 58.07 Percentage of GDP | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 54.12 Percentage of GDP | -6.8% |
| 2007 | 52.57 Percentage of GDP | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 50.62 Percentage of GDP | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 61.5 Percentage of GDP | +21.5% |
| 2010 | 67.57 Percentage of GDP | +9.9% |
| 2011 | 68.62 Percentage of GDP | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 68.1 Percentage of GDP | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 71.08 Percentage of GDP | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 69.36 Percentage of GDP | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 69.28 Percentage of GDP | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 73.7 Percentage of GDP | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 74.05 Percentage of GDP | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 73.52 Percentage of GDP | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 73.74 Percentage of GDP | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 77.17 Percentage of GDP | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 97.85 Percentage of GDP | +26.8% |
| 2022 | 91.02 Percentage of GDP | -7.0% |
| 2023 | 83.69 Percentage of GDP | -8.1% |
| 2024 | 87.86 Percentage of GDP | +5.0% |
| 2025 | 91.5 Percentage of GDP | +4.1% |
| 2026 | 95.08 Percentage of GDP | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.25 Percentage of GDP | 78.08 Percentage of GDP | 87.44 Percentage of GDP | 5 |
| 2000s | 60.02 Percentage of GDP | 50.62 Percentage of GDP | 67.23 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.9 Percentage of GDP | 67.57 Percentage of GDP | 74.05 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.17 Percentage of GDP | 77.17 Percentage of GDP | 97.85 Percentage of GDP | 7 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 5 Lithuania 42.01 Percentage of GDP compare
- 5 France 116.25 Percentage of GDP compare
- 6 Belgium 108.88 Percentage of GDP compare
- 6 Estonia 25.11 Percentage of GDP compare
- 7 Türkiye 24.2 Percentage of GDP compare
- 7 Spain 101.29 Percentage of GDP compare
- 9 United Kingdom 93.69 Percentage of GDP compare
- 10 Finland 89.44 Percentage of GDP compare
- 11 Austria 82.93 Percentage of GDP compare
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 value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 2.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9375 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 52,219 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 4.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.31 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 73,008 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 1.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.7634 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Canada?
- Government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Canada was 95.08 Percentage of GDP in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 97.85 Percentage of GDP in 2021.
- What is the lowest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.62 Percentage of GDP in 2008.
- How does Canada rank for government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans?
- Canada ranks 8th out of 25 countries with data for 2026.
- Is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The magnitude of government debt and debt-to-GDP ratios varies depending on which measure of debt is used. To promote international comparability, the IMF, the OECD and the World Bank have agreed on a set of standard debt measures, which are defined in the Public Sector Debt Statistics Guide for Compilers and Users and the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014. Government gross debt is shown in four categories: D1 to D4. D1 is the narrowest measure, comprising only two financial instruments: debt securities and loans. D4 (‘total gross debt’) is the broadest measure and includes debt securities, loans, Special Drawing Rights, currency and deposits, other accounts payable and insurance, pensions and standardised guarantees. The D1 to D3 measures are comparable between OECD countries. D4 is the preferred measure of debt in the international accounting standards (System of National Accounts or SNA) but cross-country comparability is more difficult for D4 because countries have different approaches to recording unfunded pension liabilities for government employees. For more information, please see the document: Measuring Government Debt: D1-D4