Economy - overview:
As a high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US, its principal trading partner. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with the US, which absorbs about three-fourths of Canadian merchandise exports each year. Canada is the US's largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, and electric power, and a top source of US uranium imports. Given its abundant natural resources, highly skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoyed solid economic growth from 1993 through 2007. Buffeted by the global economic crisis, the economy dropped into a sharp recession in the final months of 2008, and Ottawa posted its first fiscal deficit in 2009 after 12 years of surplus. Canada's major banks, however, emerged from the financial crisis of 2008-09 among the strongest in the world, owing to the early intervention by the Bank of Canada and the financial sector's tradition of conservative lending practices and strong capitalization. Canada achieved marginal growth in 2010-14 and plans to balance the budget by 2015 despite the recent drop in oil prices. In addition, the country's petroleum sector is rapidly expanding, because Alberta's oil sands significantly boosted Canada's proven oil reserves. Canada now ranks third in the world in proved oil reserves behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela and is the world’s fifth-largest oil producer.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.628 trillion (2015 est.) $1.612 trillion (2014 est.) $1.573 trillion (2013 est.)
note: data are in 2015 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: GDP country ranks ]

GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.573 trillion (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]

GDP - real growth rate:
1% (2015 est.) 2.4% (2014 est.) 2% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$45,900 (2015 est.) $45,400 (2014 est.) $44,300 (2013 est.)
note: data are in 2015 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 32
[see also: GDP - per capita country ranks ]

Gross national saving:
21% of GDP (2015 est.) 21.9% of GDP (2014 est.) 21.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]

GDP - composition, by end use:
household consumption: 56.7%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 21%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 23.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: 0.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 32.2%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -33.5% (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]

GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 1.6%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 28.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 70.5% (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; fish; forest products

Industries:
transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum, natural gas

Industrial production growth rate:
2.3% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]

Labor force:
19.3 million (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
manufacturing: 13%
construction: 6%
services: 76%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
other: 3% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:
6.9% (2015 est.) 6.9% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]

Population below poverty line:
9.4%
note: this figure is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), a calculation that results in higher figures than found in many comparable economies; Canada does not have an official poverty line (2008 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: 24.8% (2000)
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10% country ranks ]

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32.1 (2005) 31.5 (1994)
country comparison to the world: 110
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]

Budget:
revenues: $585 billion
[see also: Budget revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $614.1 billion (2015 est.)
[see also: Budget expenditures country ranks ]

Taxes and other revenues:
37.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-1.9% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]

Public debt:
95.4% of GDP (2015 est.) 94.8% of GDP (2014 est.)
note: figures are for gross general government debt, as opposed to net federal debt; gross general government debt includes both intragovernmental debt and the debt of public entities at the sub-national level
country comparison to the world: 20
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.2% (2015 est.) 1.9% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]

Central bank discount rate:
1% (31 December 2010) 0.25% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 124
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
2.7% (31 December 2015 est.) 3% (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]

Stock of narrow money:
$579.9 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $629.6 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]

Stock of broad money:
$1.486 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) $1.47 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]

Stock of domestic credit:
$2.714 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) $2.97 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]

Market value of publicly traded shares:
$2.016 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.907 trillion (31 December 2011) $2.16 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]

Current account balance:
-$45.82 billion (2015 est.) -$37.5 billion (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]

Exports:
$428.3 billion (2015 est.) $478.4 billion (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
[see also: Exports country ranks ]

Exports - commodities:
motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum

Exports - partners:
US 76.8% (2014)

Imports:
$440.9 billion (2015 est.) $473.8 billion (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Imports country ranks ]

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods

Imports - partners:
US 54.5%, China 11.5%, Mexico 5.6% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$74.7 billion (31 December 2014 est.) $71.94 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]

Debt - external:
$1.491 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) $1.395 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.012 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) $940.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.18 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) $1.137 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]

Exchange rates:
Canadian dollars (CAD) per US dollar - 1.28 (2015 est.) 1.1 (2014 est.) 1.03 (2013 est.) 1 (2012 est.) 0.99 (2011 est.)