Wealth share of the richest 1% in Canada
Canada: Wealth share of the richest 1% was 28.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Wealth share of the richest 1% in Canada, 1820–2024
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Canada recorded 28.6% for wealth share of the richest 1% in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wealth share of the richest 1% in Canada peaked at 42.9% in 1910 and was at its lowest, 21.3%, in 1967.
Canada ranks 67th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 72 years of available data.
Wealth share of the richest 1% in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 36.2% | — |
| 1850 | 35.4% | -2.2% |
| 1880 | 37.4% | +5.6% |
| 1900 | 39.3% | +5.0% |
| 1910 | 42.9% | +9.2% |
| 1920 | 34.1% | -20.5% |
| 1930 | 34.2% | +0.2% |
| 1940 | 35.4% | +3.4% |
| 1945 | 25.6% | -27.6% |
| 1946 | 27.4% | +7.0% |
| 1947 | 28.4% | +3.6% |
| 1948 | 32.0% | +12.7% |
| 1949 | 30.9% | -3.4% |
| 1950 | 30.2% | -2.3% |
| 1951 | 27.9% | -7.6% |
| 1952 | 29.0% | +3.9% |
| 1953 | 27.4% | -5.5% |
| 1960 | 26.6% | -3.1% |
| 1961 | 25.6% | -3.6% |
| 1962 | 23.8% | -7.0% |
| 1963 | 25.4% | +6.7% |
| 1964 | 24.2% | -4.7% |
| 1965 | 22.2% | -8.3% |
| 1966 | 24.9% | +12.2% |
| 1967 | 21.3% | -14.5% |
| 1968 | 22.1% | +3.8% |
| 1970 | 22.9% | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 23.6% | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 23.5% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 23.5% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 23.5% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 23.5% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 23.6% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 23.8% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 23.9% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 25.0% | +4.6% |
| 1989 | 24.9% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 24.9% | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 25.3% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 24.9% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 25.1% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 25.2% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 25.4% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 25.7% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 26.0% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 26.2% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 26.6% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 27.4% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 27.6% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 27.6% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 27.7% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 28.1% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 28.3% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 28.4% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 28.6% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 28.5% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 28.3% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 28.6% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 28.7% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 28.7% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 28.9% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 28.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 29.0% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 28.7% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 28.9% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 28.8% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 28.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 29.1% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 29.5% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 28.6% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 28.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 28.6% | +0.0% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 28.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 27.5%, 1.0× the median. (79 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wealth share of the richest 1% in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | -27.6% | 35.4% | 25.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 36.2% | 36.2% | 36.2% | 1 |
| 1850s | 35.4% | 35.4% | 35.4% | 1 |
| 1880s | 37.4% | 37.4% | 37.4% | 1 |
| 1900s | 39.3% | 39.3% | 39.3% | 1 |
| 1910s | 42.9% | 42.9% | 42.9% | 1 |
| 1920s | 34.1% | 34.1% | 34.1% | 1 |
| 1930s | 34.2% | 34.2% | 34.2% | 1 |
| 1940s | 29.9% | 25.6% | 35.4% | 6 |
| 1950s | 28.6% | 27.4% | 30.2% | 4 |
| 1960s | 24.0% | 21.3% | 26.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 22.9% | 22.9% | 22.9% | 1 |
| 1980s | 23.9% | 23.5% | 25.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.5% | 24.9% | 26.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.0% | 27.4% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 28.6% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.9% | 28.6% | 29.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wealth share of the richest 1% in Canada?
- Wealth share of the richest 1% in Canada was 28.6% in 2024, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 42.9% in 1910.
- What is the lowest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.3% in 1967.
- How does Canada rank for wealth share of the richest 1%?
- Canada ranks 67th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wealth share of the richest 1% rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Wealth share of the richest 1%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population. Wealth is defined as the total value of non-financial and financial assets (housing, land, deposits, bonds, equities, etc.) held by households, minus their debts.