Brochure - The 2025 Survey of Financial Security (PDF, 124.44 KB)

The 2025 Survey of Financial Security
Measuring the financial health of Canadians

The Survey of Financial Security (SFS) is a national survey that gathers information on the assets and debts of Canadians. Your participation allows Statistics Canada to measure the financial health of Canadians. This information will help governments, economic and social policy analysts, community groups, and businesses serve you better.

You can make a difference

Information collected by the SFS is used to improve social and economic programs. By taking part in this survey, you help ensure that these programs meet the real needs of Canadians

You can help us answer these questions:

1. Are many Canadians unable to manage their debt load?
2. Do families set aside money for their children's education?
3. Do people save for retirement?
4. Will the pension system be able to support Canada's aging population?
5. Which groups of people are most likely to be financially at risk?
6. How vulnerable are Canadians to major shifts in the financial markets?

Participating is easy

To access your online questionnaire, please visit www.survey.statcan.gc.ca and enter the secure access code included in your invitation letter.

You and members of your household will be asked a set of questions. You can respond individually, or one household member can answer on behalf of the others. The questions relate to the following financial matters:

• the value of each type of asset (e.g., your home, other property, vehicles, bank accounts and investments);
• the amount of each type of debt, including mortgages, credit cards, student loans and other types of loans;
• business equity;
• contributions to employer pension plans.

Tips to help you complete the survey

You can speed up the time it takes to complete the survey online by collecting some information ahead of time, such as statements showing the value or amount of assets and debts for all members of your household. Some of the information you will be asked for is available on your 2024 income tax records. You will not be asked to send in any of these documents. Having them handy may help you answer the questions more accurately and more easily.

Please inform other people living in your home that Statistics Canada will combine their responses from this survey with information from their individual tax records. Statistics Canada may also add information collected by other organizations and departments or from other surveys.

Your privacy is important to us

Statistics Canada takes the privacy of Canadians very seriously. This survey is conducted under the authority of the Statistics Act, which ensures the information you provide will be kept confidential. We do not release any information that could identify you, or any member of your household. For more information on how Statistics Canada is keeping information private, secure and confidential, please visit our Trust Centre at www.statcan.gc.ca/en/trust.

Contact us

Telephone: 1-833-977-8287

TTY: 1-866-753-7083

Email: infostats@statcan.gc.ca

For more information

Website: www.statcan.gc.ca/SFS

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Thank you for your participation!

For the monthly release of the Canadian international merchandise trade in the Daily, a variant of the NAPCS 2022 version 1.0 for merchandise import and export accounts is used to categorize traded products. For more information, please see Variant of NAPCS 2022 – Merchandise import and export accounts.

Merchandise trade is one component of Canada's international balance of payments (BOP), which also includes trade in services, investment income, current transfers, and capital and financial flows.

International trade data by commodity are available on a BOP and a customs basis. International trade data by country are available on a customs basis for all countries and on a BOP basis for Canada's 27 principal trading partners (PTPs). The list of PTPs is based on their annual share of total merchandise trade—imports and exports—with Canada in 2012. BOP data are derived from customs data by adjusting for factors such as valuation, coverage, timing and residency. These adjustments are made to conform to the concepts and definitions of the Canadian System of National Accounts.

For a conceptual analysis of BOP-based data versus customs-based data, see Balance of Payments trade in goods at Statistics Canada: Expanding geographic detail to 27 principal trading partners.

For more information on these and other macroeconomic concepts, see the Methodological Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (Catalogue number13-607-X) and the User Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (Catalogue number13-606-G).

The data in this release are on a BOP basis and are seasonally adjusted. Unless otherwise stated, values are expressed in nominal terms, or current dollars. References to prices are based on aggregate Paasche (current-weighted) price indexes (2017=100). Movements within aggregate Paasche prices can be influenced by changes in the share of values traded for specific goods, with sudden shifts in trading patterns—as observed with the COVID-19 pandemic—sometimes resulting in large movements in Paasche price indexes. Volumes, or constant dollars, are calculated using the Laspeyres formula (2017=100), unless otherwise stated.

For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.

Revisions

In general, merchandise trade data are revised on an ongoing basis for each month of the current year. Current-year revisions are reflected in the customs-based and the BOP-based data.

The previous year's customs-based data are revised with the release of data for the January and February reference months, and thereafter on a quarterly basis. The previous two years of customs-based data are revised annually, and revisions are released in February with the December reference month.

The previous year's BOP-based data are revised with the release of data for the January, February, March and April reference months. To remain consistent with the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts, revisions to BOP-based data for previous years are released annually in December with the October reference month.

Factors influencing revisions include the late receipt of import and export documentation, incorrect information on customs forms, the replacement of estimates produced for the energy section with actual figures, changes in merchandise classification based on more current information, and changes to seasonal adjustment factors. The seasonal adjustment parameters are reviewed and updated annually and applied with the October reference month release.

Estimates for import data that will be received after collection deadlines are calculated for the current month and are typically removed or adjusted in subsequent releases in accordance with the actual data received. Estimates are based on historical patterns and trends reflected in other sources obtained by Statistics Canada. On a customs-basis, placeholder estimates are intended to address high-level aggregates and are not fully reflected across disaggregated product categories within the classifications used to publish merchandise import statistics. On a balance of payments-basis, placeholder estimates are intended to address aggregates across NAPCS groups and principal trading partners used to publish merchandise import statistics. Following the implementation of the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) digital initiative in October 2024 and regulatory changes affecting certain submission deadlines, these monthly late arrival estimates generally reflect larger data volumes being received after collection deadlines.

For information on data revisions for exports of energy products, see Methodology for Exports of Energy Products within the International Merchandise Trade Program.

Revised data are available in the appropriate tables.

Introduction

The objective of this text is to provide a general overview of the customs-basis data produced by the Canadian International Merchandise Trade (CIMT) Program, with special reference to concepts and definitions.

Conceptual framework

1. Objectives and coverage: The objective of customs-basis CIMT statistics is to measure the change in the stock of material resources of Canada resulting from the movement of merchandise into or out of the country. Information on imports and exports are inputs into the Macroeconomic Accounts, and are used in the formulation of trade and economic policies. Governments, importers, exporters, manufacturers and shipping companies use international merchandise trade statistics to:

• monitor import penetration and export performance;
• monitor commodity price and volume changes; and
• examine transport implications.

2. Trade statistics (customs-basis/balance of payments-basis): Merchandise trade statistics are presented on two different bases: customs and balance of payments.

Statistics for Canada’s imports as well as exports to non-US destinations are compiled from Customs declarations filed with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Data for Canada’s exports to the United States are derived from the administrative import records of the United States Customs and Border Protection and exchanged under the terms of a memorandum of understanding between Canada and the United States. Statistics developed from these Customs administrative records are commonly referred to as customs-basis trade statistics.

Customs-basis data are adjusted to conform to the National Accounts concepts and definitions. The adjustments to derive balance of payments-basis trade data include adjustments related to trade definition, valuation and timing. The principal difference between the two trade concepts is that customs-basis merchandise trade statistics cover the physical movement of goods as they are reflected in Customs documents while balance of payments-basis data are intended to cover the economic transactions that involve merchandise trade between residents and non-residents.

It is possible for the accuracy of customs-basis statistics to be affected by undercoverage and/or country misallocation. Undercoverage occurs when trade is not captured in customs documents. Examples of undercoverage include transactions where the value is below the threshold required for reporting to customs authorities, and the informal or illegal movement of goods across borders. Estimates for undercoverage are included in balance of payments-basis statistics. Country misallocation occurs when the last known destination reported on the customs export documentation does not reflect the ultimate destination for the goods. This occurs most frequently when goods are routed through an intermediary country before continuing to their final destination with the intermediary country being reported as the final destination of the goods.

3. System of trade: Canadian trade statistics are compiled according to the “general” system of trade, as defined by the United Nations Statistical Office. Conceptually, under the general system, the statistical frontier coincides with the geographical boundary. Under this system, imports include goods that have crossed Canada's territorial boundary for immediate consumption in Canada or for storage in Customs bonded warehouses. Domestic exports include goods grown, extracted or manufactured in Canada, including goods of foreign origin that have been materially transformed in Canada. Re-exports are exports of goods of foreign origin that have not been materially transformed in Canada, including foreign goods withdrawn for export from Customs bonded warehouses. Total exports are the sum of domestic exports and re-exports.

4. Valuation: For Customs purposes, imports are recorded at values established according to the provisions of the Customs Act, which reflects valuation methods based on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Valuation Code System. In general, the value for duty of imported goods must be equivalent to the transaction value or the price actually paid.

The transaction value of imported goods includes all transportation and associated costs incurred up to the point of direct shipment to Canada. Therefore, Canada's imports are valued Free on Board (FOB), place of direct shipment to Canada. It excludes freight and insurance costs in bringing the goods to Canada from the point of direct shipment.

Exports are recorded at the value declared on Customs documents, which reflect the transaction value (i.e., actual selling price or, in the case of a non-arm's length transaction, the transfer price used for company accounting purposes). Canada's exports are valued at FOB port of exit from Canada, including domestic freight charges to that point but net of discounts and allowances.

5. Statistical period: The closing of the statistical month for imports and exports is defined as the last calendar day of the month based on the date of clearance from Customs. Documents received too late for incorporation in the current month are assigned to the month the transaction took place and are published the following statistical month.

6. Trading partner attribution (country of origin/destination): On a custom basis, imports are attributed to the country of origin, that is the country in which the goods were grown, extracted or manufactured in accordance with the rules of origin administered by the CBSA. Customs-basis imports from the United States are attributed to the state of origin. On a balance of payments basis, imports are attributed to the country of export instead of the country of origin to reflect the change in ownership of the goods.

Both customs- and balance of payments-basis exports are attributed to the country that is the last known destination of the goods at the time of export. Exports to the United States are attributed to the state of destination in customs-basis exports.

7. Principal Trading Partners (PTPs): The list of PTPs is based on their annual share of total trade -merchandise imports plus exports - with Canada in 2012. The countries included in the list of PTPs are the following:

List of Canada's Principal Trading Partners

• United States
• European Union
  • Germany
  • Netherlands
  • France
  • Italy
  • Belgium
  • Spain
• China
• United Kingdom
• Mexico
• Japan
• South Korea
• Hong Kong
• Brazil
• Algeria
• Norway
• India
• Switzerland
• Saudi Arabia
• Turkey
• Taiwan
• Peru
• Australia
• Iraq
• Indonesia
• Singapore
• Russian Federation
• Other OECD countries
• All other countries

8. Free Trade Agreements: The list of free trade agreements is based on the list of Canada's Trade and Investment Agreements available on Global Affairs Canada's website. Please note that this list includes countries or groups of countries with which Canada is discussing or negotiating an agreement; in these cases, the agreements are not yet in force. Therefore, only a subset of the free trade agreements listed below are currently in force in Canada. More information about Canada's free trade agreements, including the member countries for each group and the status of the agreements, can be found at Global Affairs Canada's website.

The countries included in each free trade agreement are as follows:

9. Legal framework: Import statistics as well as export statistics with countries other than the United States are derived from information contained in administrative records collected by the CBSA under the Customs Act. Copies of these documents (or information therefrom) are sent to Statistics Canada in accordance with Section 25 of the Statistics Act. It follows that the disclosure of trade statistics is governed by both the Customs Act and the Statistics Act and is subject to the provisions of Section 17(2)(a) of the latter. Disclosure of statistics for trade with the United States is governed by a memorandum of understanding that provides for the exchange of detailed import statistics between Canada and the United States.

Contact information

Telephone: 1-800-263-1136
Facsimile: 1-877-287-4369
Email: infostats@statcan.gc.ca

Enumerator: Hello! My name is ______________. I'm an enumerator with Statistics Canada, which means I help people complete their census questionnaires if they haven't done so online. I'm here to assist you today.

Resident: Hello! Sure, that's fine.

Enumerator: Thank you. Before we begin, I want to let you know that all the information you provide is confidential and protected by law. It will only be used for statistical purposes.

Resident: I understand.

Enumerator: Great. Let's start: can I confirm the address for this dwelling?

Resident: The address is [insert pretend address].

Enumerator: Including yourself, how many people were living at this address on May 12, 2026?

Resident: There were [insert number] people living here on May 12, 2026.

Enumerator: Thank you. May I have your full name for the questionnaire? Let's start with your family name (last name).

Resident: My family name is [insert name].

Enumerator: And your given name (first name)?

Resident: My given name is [insert name].

Enumerator: Thank you. What is your date of birth?

Resident: [Insert pretend birth date].

Enumerator: And how old were you on May 12, 2026?

Resident: I was [insert age].

Enumerator: What was your sex at birth? The options are "male" or "female".

Resident: I am [insert answer].

Enumerator: Are you a Canadian citizen? The options are "Yes, a Canadian citizen by birth", "Yes, a Canadian citizen by naturalization" or "No, not a Canadian citizen". "Canadian citizenship by naturalization" refers to an immigrant who was granted Canadian citizenship under the Citizenship Act.

Resident: [insert answer].

Enumerator: Can you speak English or French well enough to conduct a conversation? The options are "English only", "French only", "Both English and French", or "Neither English nor French".

Resident: I speak [insert answer].

Enumerator: And what is the language you first learned at home during childhood and still understand? The options are "English", "French", or specify another language.

Resident: [insert answer].

Enumerator: Wonderful—thank you for your participation!

Now, switch roles and repeat!

• Census of Population

  Forbidden words: numbers, people, government

• Dwelling

  Forbidden words: building, stay, roof

• Household

  Forbidden words: family, home, group

• Non-permanent resident

  Forbidden words: live, country, from

• Immigrant

  Forbidden words: arrive, move, passport

• Occupation

  Forbidden words: job, work, office

• Commuting duration

  Forbidden words: minutes, distance, time

• Ethnic or cultural origin

  Forbidden words: tradition, roots, language

• Marital status

  Forbidden words: couple, partner wedding

• Sex at birth

  Forbidden words: baby, male, female

• Population group

  Forbidden words: race, ethnicity, appearance

• Indigenous group

  Forbidden words: First Nations, Métis, Inuit (Inuk)

• Religion

  Forbidden words: denomination, faith, belief

• Resident

  Forbidden words: home, address, place

• Enumerator

  Forbidden words: ask, form, worker

• Census Day

  Forbidden words: date, event, calendar

Note: terms were drawn from The 2021 Census of Population Dictionary.

Census of Population

The Census of Population is a survey conducted to enumerate (or count) the entire Canadian population based on a "usual place of residence," that is, by the location where a person lives most of the time.
Census enumeration involves listing all usual residents of a dwelling on Census Day.
The Census of Population helps paint a statistical portrait of Canada's diverse population and the places where we live by collecting demographic, social and economic information from households across Canada.

Dwelling

A dwelling is defined as a set of living quarters. In other words, the building where you live (e.g., the apartment building or house you live in).

Household

Household refers to a person or group of persons who occupy the same dwelling and do not have a usual place of residence elsewhere in Canada or abroad. For example, an apartment building it made up of many households, as each apartment is its own unique household. This includes family and/or friends living together. Typically, one census is completed per household.

Non-permanent resident

Non-permanent resident refers to a person from another country with a usual place of residence in Canada (i.e., someone who is currently living in Canada) and who has a work or study permit or who has claimed refugee status (asylum claimant).
Family members living with work or study permit holders are also included, unless these family members are already Canadian citizens or landed immigrants or permanent residents.

Immigrant

Immigrant refers to a person who is, or who has ever been, a landed immigrant or permanent resident (i.e., if you were born and lived in another country and then moved to Canada). So, someone who has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities.
Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this group.

Occupation

Occupation refers to the kind of work performed in a job a job being all the tasks carried out by a particular worker to complete his or her duties.  In other words, what type of job someone has, such as a teacher, plumber or civil engineer,

Commuting duration

Commuting duration refers to the length of time, in minutes, usually required by a person to travel to their place of work.

Ethnic or cultural origin

Ethnic or cultural origin refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the person's ancestors. Ancestors may have Indigenous origins, or origins that refer to different countries, or other origins that may not refer to different countries. Ancestors refer to the people that a person has descended from (e.g., grandparents, great grandparents, etc.). For example, if your grandparents are from Greece, your ethnic or cultural origin would be Greek.

Marital status

Marital status refers to whether or not a person is living in a common‑law union as well as the legal marital status of those who are not living in a common‑law union. In other words, whether adults living together are married, common-law, separated, divorced, or widowed. 

Sex at birth

Sex at birth refers to sex assigned at birth. Sex at birth is typically assigned based on a person's reproductive system and other physical characteristics.
Sex at birth may also be understood as the sex recorded at a person's birth (for example, what was recorded on their birth certificate – male or female).

Population group

Population group refers to whether the person reports being White, South Asian, First Nations, Métis or Inuk (Inuit), Chinese, Black, Filipino, Arab, Latin American, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean, Japanese and/or another population group. These specific groups are the mark‑in categories used in a question which collects data on the visible minority population for employment equity purposes.

Indigenous group

Indigenous group refers to whether the person is First Nations (North American Indian), Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit). A person may be included in more than one of these three specific groups. Aboriginal peoples of Canada (referred to here as Indigenous peoples) are defined in the Constitution Act, 1982, Section 35 (2) as including Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples.
First Nations (North American Indian) includes Status and non-Status Indians.

Religion

Religion refers to the person's self-identification as having a connection or affiliation with any religious denomination, group, body, or other religiously defined community or system of belief. Religion is not limited to formal membership in a religious organization or group. For example, Roman Catholic, Muslim, United Church, Anglican, Hindu, Sikh, Baptist, Pentecostal, Buddhist, Jewish, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Greek Orthodox, etc.
For infants or children, religion refers to the specific religious group or denomination in which they are being raised, if any. Persons without a religious connection or affiliation can self-identify as atheist, agnostic or humanist, or can provide another applicable response.

Resident

Resident refers to a person who lives in a dwelling in Canada on Census Day. This includes people who live in the dwelling most of the time, whether they are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, immigrants, or non-permanent residents. A resident may be part of a household and is counted in the census based on their usual place of residence (i.e., where they live most of the time).

Enumerator

Enumerator refers to a person hired by Statistics Canada to help carry out the Census of Population. Enumerators are responsible for visiting dwellings, delivering census materials, assisting residents with completing their census questionnaires, and ensuring that all households are accurately counted. Enumerators play an important role in helping collect information that reflects Canada's population and communities.

Census Day

Census Day refers to the reference day for the Census of Population. It is the reference point used to determine who is living in each dwelling and where they usually reside on that day. All census responses are based on the situation as it exists on Census Day, including who lives in the household, their age, and other demographic information. In Canada, Census Day typically falls in May and is set by Statistics Canada every five years. For the 2026 Census, Census Day is May 12, 2026.