Canada's gross external debt declines in the second quarter
Canada's net foreign asset position increased by $42.8 billion to $1,855.7 billion at the end of the second quarter. Furthermore, Canada's gross external debt decreased by $61.4 billion to $4,581.0 billion at the end of the second quarter, marking the first decline since the first quarter of 2024. Canada's gross external debt represented 144.8% of its gross domestic product at the end of the second quarter of 2025, down from 146.2% in the previous quarter.
Source: Canada's international investment position, second quarter 2025
Household borrowing slows once again
Canadian households were wealthier in the second quarter of 2025, as their net worth increased by over a one-quarter of a trillion dollars (+$257.7 billion; or +1.5%) to reach $17,877.1 billion, the seventh consecutive quarterly increase. Meanwhile, the pace of household credit market borrowing (seasonally adjusted) eased to $31.6 billion in the second quarter of 2025, the second consecutive quarterly slowdown. However, over the last four quarters, households have borrowed $142.9 billion in credit market debt, compared with $106.1 billion from the third quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2024.
Source: National balance sheet and financial flow accounts, second quarter 2025
Post-secondary education remains most affordable in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec
In 2025/2026, international undergraduate students are expected to pay more than 5.0 times the tuition of their Canadian counterparts, compared with 3.6 times more one decade earlier. In 2025/2026, Newfoundland and Labrador is expected to remain the most affordable place to study for both Canadian undergraduate ($3,746) and graduate ($4,081) students. Quebec is also expected to remain among the most affordable options for Canadian undergraduate ($3,963) and graduate ($4,307) students.
Source: Tuition in Canada: Modest increases and widening gaps, 2025/2026
Most Canadian citizens report being proud or very proud to be Canadian
In the spring of 2025, 78% of Canadian citizens reported being proud or very proud to be Canadian, up from 74% in the fall of 2024. From coast to coast, a large majority of Canadians reported high levels of Canadian pride in the spring of 2025, ranging from 72% in Quebec to 86% in Prince Edward Island. In the spring of 2025, 83% of Canadians reported a strong sense of belonging to Canada, an increase from the spring of 2022, when 72% of Canadians reported that they felt the same way.
Source: Proud to be Canadian: Pride and sense of belonging in 2025
Nuclear energy generation peaks in 2017, declining since then
Nuclear electricity generation reached 95.7 million megawatt-hours in 2017, the highest level on record since Statistics Canada started tracking the current data series in 2016. In 2017, nuclear represented 14.7% of the total national electricity generation. Since then, nuclear generation has been lower, in part due to refurbishments. Globally, in 2023, Canada generated the sixth-highest amount of electricity from nuclear energy, behind the United States, China, France, Russia and South Korea.
Source: Nuclear energy in Canada: Past, present and future
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