Net Worth by Age in Canada: Percentiles & Benchmarks (2026)

How does your net worth compare to other Canadians your age? This page breaks down average and median net worth by age group using Statistics Canada’s Survey of Financial Security (SFS), with percentile tables so you can see exactly where you stand.

Net worth is simply what you own minus what you owe: total assets (home, investments, savings, pension value, vehicles) minus total liabilities (mortgage, student loans, car loans, credit card balances). The result is a single number that captures your full financial position at a point in time. Use the net worth calculator to calculate yours, or the how to calculate net worth guide for a step-by-step walkthrough.

A few important caveats before diving into the data: Statistics Canada measures family net worth (couples are counted together, not individually), housing is valued at current market price, and employer pension plan values are included. This means homeowners — especially in BC and Ontario — often show substantially higher net worth than renters with similar incomes and savings habits, because decades of housing appreciation are baked into the number.

For overall net worth statistics (not broken down by age), see Canadian Net Worth: Average vs Median.

Net worth by age: average vs median

The table below shows both the average and median net worth for each age group. The gap between the two reveals how much high-net-worth outliers skew the numbers.

Key insight: The median is the better benchmark. If your net worth is at or above the median for your age group, you are doing better than at least half of Canadian families in your cohort.

The reason the average is so much higher than the median is concentration at the top. Canada’s wealthiest 10% of families hold more than half of all household wealth. When a handful of families worth $10–50 million are averaged in with everyone else, the mean gets pulled sharply upward. If you’ve ever seen an average figure quoted and felt behind, you were likely comparing yourself to a number inflated by the ultra-wealthy — not a useful benchmark for planning purposes.

Use the net worth percentile calculator to enter your own numbers and see your exact position within your age group.

Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Financial Security (SFS).

Net worth percentiles by age group

These tables show where you rank relative to your peers. The 50th percentile is the median — half of families have more, half have less.

Under 35

At the 10th percentile, Canadians under 35 carry more debt than assets — student loans, credit cards, and car loans that outweigh their savings. This is completely normal early in a career and typically resolves as income grows and debt is paid down.

The wide spread in this age group (from −$15,000 to $850,000) reflects vastly different life circumstances: recent graduates vs. young professionals five years into their career, renters vs. homeowners who entered the market before recent price increases, and those who received gifted down payments vs. those building wealth entirely from earned income. The average debt by age in Canada page breaks down the liability side in detail. For a specific savings target, see how much you should have saved by 30.

35 to 44

This is the decade where homeownership creates the biggest divergence. A homeowner in a major Canadian city who bought a decade ago may have $300,000–$500,000 in home equity alone — enough to push them above the 75th percentile before counting a single dollar of RRSP or TFSA savings. Renters who save disciplinedly often have more liquid wealth, but lower total net worth as measured here.

The 35–44 range is also when careers and income typically accelerate. Maximizing RRSP contributions during high-earning years (where marginal tax rates are 40%+) is far more tax-efficient than the same contribution at 30% in your 20s. For a focused savings target, see how much you should have saved by 40.

45 to 54

Peak earning years — and typically peak savings capacity. Mortgages are often past their halfway point, freeing up cash flow that can be redirected to RRSP and TFSA top-ups. Employer pensions begin showing serious value: a defined-benefit pension promising $3,000/month in retirement has a commuted value of $500,000–$700,000 or more, yet it often goes unrecognized because it doesn’t appear as an account balance.

The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile widens to over $3 million in this age group — a direct consequence of compounding over 20+ years. Someone who invested $500/month starting at 25 at a 7% average return has roughly $560,000 by age 50. Someone who started at 35 has roughly $245,000. Time in the market remains the single biggest differentiator.

55 to 64

The peak accumulation age group — and the final opportunity to close any retirement savings gap. Many Canadians at this stage have paid off or nearly paid off their mortgage, which significantly boosts net worth. The question is whether that net worth can generate enough income in retirement.

A quick income test: at a standard 4% withdrawal rate, the median $873,400 generates roughly $34,900/year from personal savings. Add average CPP of ~$9,300 and OAS of ~$8,900 per person, and a single person’s retirement income reaches approximately $53,000 — reasonable for many, but tight if home equity is the primary asset and you plan to age in place. Use the retirement calculator to model your specific situation, and the before-you-retire checklist to ensure nothing critical has been missed.

65 and over

Net worth declining from the 55–64 peak is normal and expected — retirement is the purpose of accumulation, not a failure to maintain it. Mandatory RRIF minimum withdrawals draw down registered accounts, some retirees downsize or use a reverse mortgage to access home equity, and TFSA funds get spent on healthcare or travel.

An important nuance: Canadians with defined-benefit pensions often show lower measured net worth than self-directed investors, yet have higher financial security. A government or teacher’s pension paying $4,000/month has the economic equivalent of roughly $1.2 million in investable assets at a 4% withdrawal rate — but it doesn’t appear on a balance sheet. Those with DB pensions drawing down RRIF withdrawals should account for pension income before assuming their net worth is insufficient.

What should your net worth be at each age?

These benchmarks are adapted from retirement savings frameworks used by Fidelity and others, calibrated for Canada’s system where CPP and OAS provide a meaningful base of guaranteed retirement income — reducing how much personal savings you need relative to US-based benchmarks. They are trajectory checks, not hard pass/fail thresholds. Someone with a generous defined-benefit pension needs far less personal savings; someone planning to retire at 55 needs significantly more.

A common rule of thumb is the salary multiplier approach — your net worth should be a multiple of your annual gross salary at each age:

Important caveats:

• These targets include home equity. If you exclude your home, the targets are much lower.
• Canadians with a defined-benefit pension (government, teacher, etc.) need less personal savings because the pension replaces a significant portion of retirement income.
• The targets assume you want to maintain your current lifestyle in retirement. If you plan to downsize significantly, you may need less.

Net worth by province

Geography matters. Housing costs and local economies create significant differences in net worth by province:

British Columbia and Ontario lead almost entirely due to real estate values. Homeowners who have owned for 10+ years in Vancouver or Toronto have seen property values double or triple; their net worth reflects those gains even if their investment portfolios are modest. A renter in BC with $200,000 in a TFSA and RRSP likely has lower total net worth than a homeowner in a mid-sized Ontario city who has barely invested a dollar outside of mortgage payments.

The gap between provinces narrows significantly once housing is removed. Renters in BC and Ontario typically accumulate investable wealth at a pace similar to Manitoba or Quebec residents, because investment capacity is driven by income (comparable across provinces) rather than property appreciation.

At the bottom, New Brunswick reflects both lower average home values and lower average wages — but this also means housing is more accessible for first-time buyers, and faster equity accumulation on a lower purchase price can build net worth quickly for disciplined savers. See average debt by province in Canada for the liability side of these provincial differences.

What’s included in net worth?

Most people undercount their assets (forgetting pension plan commuted value, vested stock options, or the current market value of a business) and sometimes undercount liabilities (forgetting HELOC balances or informal family debts). Use the net worth calculator to tally yours systematically, or the how to calculate your net worth guide for a full step-by-step walkthrough.

Net Worth = Total Assets − Total Liabilities

What net worth puts you in the top 10% or top 1% in Canada?

Using the percentile data across all age groups, the approximate thresholds are:

These thresholds vary significantly by age group. The top 10% for Canadians under 35 is $850,000; for the 55–64 group it is $4,000,000. The figures above represent rough cross-age averages. The top 1% threshold of approximately $6–7 million is consistent with estimates from the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Crossing the $1 million net worth mark is within reach for many homeowners who stay in the market through their 40s and 50s — particularly in BC and Ontario where property appreciation has done significant heavy lifting. For those building wealth entirely through investable assets rather than real estate, reaching $1 million requires consistent, disciplined investing over many years. The compound interest calculator can model exactly how long it takes at different savings rates and return assumptions.

The homeownership effect

The single biggest factor separating high- and low-net-worth Canadians is homeownership. The data is stark:

Homeowners have roughly 18× the median net worth of renters. This gap is driven by:

1. Forced savings — Mortgage payments build equity automatically
2. Leverage — A 20% down payment buys 100% of the asset’s appreciation
3. Home price appreciation — Canadian home prices have risen significantly over the past two decades
4. Tax-free capital gain — The principal residence exemption means all gains are tax-free

This doesn’t mean homeownership is the right choice for everyone — see the rent vs buy calculator for a full comparison — but it explains why the data shows such a large gap.

How to build net worth at any age

In your 20s: build the foundation

• Eliminate high-interest debt (credit cards first, then student loans)
• Build a 3-month emergency fund
• Start contributing to a TFSA — even small amounts compound over 40+ years
• Start investing early — time in the market matters more than timing the market

In your 30s: accelerate growth

• Maximize TFSA and start RRSP contributions (especially if your marginal rate is above 30%)
• Consider homeownership if it makes financial sense for your market
• Increase income through career moves — this is often the highest-impact decade for salary growth
• Avoid lifestyle inflation — direct raises toward savings

In your 40s: compound and protect

• Ensure you’re on track for retirement using the retirement calculator
• Maximize employer pension matching if available
• Consider your mortgage payoff strategy — accelerating payments builds equity faster
• Start planning for children’s education with RESP

In your 50s: prepare for retirement

• Project your retirement income: CPP + OAS + pension + personal savings
• Decide on a decumulation strategy (RRSP → RRIF timing, TFSA withdrawal order)
• Pay off all debt, including the mortgage if possible
• Consider downsizing to unlock home equity

In your 60s+: draw down strategically

• Optimize RRIF withdrawals to minimize tax
• Claim CPP at the right age (delaying to 70 increases payments by 42%)
• Consider OAS clawback thresholds when planning withdrawals
• Ensure estate planning is in order

Related tools

• Net Worth: Average vs Median in Canada — Overall statistics without age breakdown
• Income Percentile Calculator — How does your income compare?
• Retirement Calculator — Are you on track for retirement?
• TFSA Calculator — Project your TFSA growth
• RRSP Calculator — Project your RRSP growth
• Compound Interest Calculator — See the power of compounding
• Mortgage Affordability Calculator — How much home can you afford?