Countries · Americas
Canada
Canada is closely tied to the US economy, and its pension funds are among the largest investors in the world.
At a glance
Net inflows of foreign direct investment were $70.1bn in 2025, against an average of $45.8bn a year in 2015–2024. Investors based in Canada put a net $56.9bn into direct investment abroad in the same year, less than Canada received. Foreign investors were net sellers of $12.6bn of shares in Canada in 2025. Canada ran a current account deficit in every year shown, which means it relied on money from abroad. Investors in Canada held $464.6bn of US Treasury securities at the end of August 2026, +$20.6bn on a year earlier, and $2.61tn of US shares.
Large Canadian public pension funds invest heavily abroad, especially in the US, and Canadian holdings of US Treasuries and shares are among the biggest of any country. Energy and mining draw much of the direct investment into Canada.
Canada's holdings of US securities
Treasuries, shares and bonds issued in the US and held by investors in Canada.
Holdings of US securities
End of month, Aug 2025 to Aug 2026, $bn.
Net purchases of long-term US securities
Each month, $bn. Positive means net buying.
The US Treasury records holdings by the country where securities are held in custody, which is not always the owner's country. Why this matters.
Direct and equity investment
Annual net flows, $bn. Direct investment means building or buying businesses; portfolio equity means buying listed shares and fund units.
Net flows by year
Direct investment into and out of Canada, and foreign buying of its shares, $bn.
Current account and reserves
The balance of trade and income with the rest of the world, and the reserves held by the central bank.
Current account balance
Each year, $bn. A surplus means the country lends to the rest of the world.
Foreign exchange reserves, including gold
End of year, $bn.
Remittances
Money sent home by people working abroad, compared with direct investment, $bn.
Remittances and direct investment
Each year, $bn.
The economy
GDP
Current US dollars, $bn. Dollar figures also move with exchange rates.
Growth and inflation
Real GDP growth and consumer price inflation, per cent.
The Canadian dollar in global reserves
Share of central banks' allocated reserves held in Canadian dollars, per cent.
Canadian dollar share of global reserves
Per cent, quarterly.
All figures
Annual figures from the World Bank, as published. Download them for every country on the data page.
| Indicator | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (m) | 35.70 | 36.11 | 36.55 | 37.07 | 37.62 | 38.03 | 38.24 | 38.95 | 40.05 | 41.26 | 41.65 |
| GDP ($bn) | 1,556.5 | 1,528.0 | 1,649.3 | 1,725.3 | 1,743.7 | 1,655.7 | 2,022.4 | 2,200.6 | 2,196.6 | 2,270.1 | 2,319.9 |
| GDP per person ($) | 43,594 | 42,314 | 45,130 | 46,539 | 46,353 | 43,538 | 52,887 | 56,497 | 54,848 | 55,016 | 55,698 |
| Real GDP growth (%) | 0.6 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 1.9 | −5.0 | 6.0 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| Inflation (%) | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 6.8 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Current account ($bn) | −54.70 | −47.26 | −46.24 | −41.15 | −34.03 | −33.29 | −0.44 | −9.73 | −15.24 | −11.07 | −22.29 |
| Current account (% GDP) | −3.5 | −3.1 | −2.8 | −2.4 | −2.0 | −2.0 | 0.0 | −0.4 | −0.7 | −0.5 | −1.0 |
| Reserves incl. gold ($bn) | 79.8 | 82.7 | 86.7 | 83.9 | 85.3 | 90.4 | 106.6 | 107.0 | 117.6 | 119.8 | 125.6 |
| Direct investment in ($bn) | 59.99 | 34.20 | 25.36 | 42.60 | 48.94 | 29.12 | 60.19 | 50.76 | 43.90 | 63.05 | 70.13 |
| Direct investment out ($bn) | 83.91 | 67.61 | 78.19 | 62.76 | 75.91 | 47.43 | 104.73 | 88.87 | 91.71 | 89.43 | 56.93 |
| Portfolio equity in ($bn) | 9.42 | 38.87 | 42.28 | 19.50 | −1.74 | −9.63 | 36.29 | −9.21 | −35.85 | −5.62 | −12.55 |
| Remittances ($bn) | 1.27 | 1.29 | 1.27 | 1.30 | 1.31 | 0.82 | 0.83 | 0.86 | 0.85 | 0.85 | 0.83 |
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