Canadian household net worth just jumped. This may be the reason why

Canadian households are worth much more this year, data from Statistics Canada shows, with real estate among the factors driving up that increase.

The net worth of Canadian households, which is calculated as the value of all assets minus all liabilities, rose 1.3 per cent in the first three months of 2026 to reach just over $18.6 trillion, Statistics Canada said on Friday.

On a per capita basis, the net worth of a Canadian household went from $442,896 to $448,433 in the first quarter of 2026, the agency said.

Both financial and non-financial assets saw an increase. Non-financial assets went up 1.1 per cent in the first quarter of the year, coming after two consecutive quarters of decline in value. This was led largely by the value of residential real estate going up.

This is a sign that Canada’s housing market is recovering after more than a year of weakness, RBC economist Rachel Battaglia said in a note.

“Real estate stabilization provided a welcome reversal after three consecutive quarters of decline,” Battaglia said.

“This reversal provides a welcome respite from the persistent drag on household wealth, though momentum remains fragile,” she added.

Financial assets, which include things like cash, bank accounts, bonds and stocks, went up 1.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, Statistics Canada said.

Canadian households added $148 billion in financial assets during this period, driven largely by mutual funds and the rising value of domestic stocks and investment funds. Domestic stocks went up 3.3 per cent, with gains concentrated in energy and mining stocks.

But it wasn’t just assets, debts went up, too. Both mortgage and non-mortgage debt went up 0.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, Statistics Canada said.

Consumer insolvencies — a measure that indicates how many Canadians filed for relief under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act — reached record highs in the first three months of 2026, according to recent data from the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy.

In January, February and March, 37,121 Canadians filed for insolvency, amounting to 17 Canadians filing for insolvency every hour this year, according to the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals (CAIRP).

This is the highest volume of Canadians filing for insolvency since the first quarter of 2009, CAIRP said, when the Canadian economy was reeling from the aftershocks of the Great Recession of 2008.