The wealth divide was similarly stark. The top 20% of the wealth distribution held 65.7% of Canada’s total net worth at the end of 2025, averaging $3.5 million per household. By contrast, the bottom 40% held just 3% of the country’s net worth, averaging $81,650 per household. The wealth gap between the two groups stood at 62.7 percentage points – up 0.6 percentage points from the previous year.
Debt pressures persist despite spending pullback
Insolvency firm MNP Ltd. said Monday that its own survey data reflected similar trends. The firm’s debt index held steady over the past year as Canadians pulled back on spending, but financial pressures remained unevenly distributed.
The average amount Canadians had left at month-end reached an all-time high of $1,000 as of MNP’s March survey, up from $907 in late November, a report from The Canadian Press noted. However, 43% of respondents said they were within $200 or less of being unable to meet monthly spending needs, up from 41% the previous quarter. Twenty-nine per cent said they were already falling short on bills and debt payments, up from 25%.
“Many Canadians are not just feeling financial pressure, they are navigating an environment that continues to shift, increasing uncertainty and making it more difficult to plan, budget, and stay ahead financially,” Grant Bazian, president of MNP Ltd. told The Canadian Press.
The MNP survey of 2,000 adult Canadians was conducted March 10–11 by Ipsos and is considered accurate to within 2.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.