Retirement savings in Canada — by the numbers
Canadians are saving only 4% of their disposable income
CBC News
Posted: Jan 4, 2013 8:03 PM ET
Last Updated: Feb 27, 2013 12:20 PM ET
Financial advisers recommend contributing to both a registered retirement savings plan and a tax-free savings account, but only 24 per cent of those eligible contributed to an RRSP in 2011, and participation in TFSAs was similarly low. (iStock)
Related
RRSP Season
- RRSP Season main page
- A user's guide to RRSPs
- Forget RRSPs - pay down mortgage instead
- 6 top reasons people raid their RRSPs
Pensions
- Canadian Pension Plan's investments see 'explosive' growth
- CPP reform essential in light of sagging savings
Saving and Investing
- 7 popular (and free) personal finance apps
- 5 investment tips that challenge conventional wisdom
- No magic bullet for smart RRSP investing in 2013
- TFSAs are a flexible way to save
- Retirement savings in Canada — by the numbers
Planning
- Seniors unprepared for bigger picture of retirement
- Cooling house market could undercut retirement plans
- Rising retirement age can be good for your finances
- 10 must-reads for tough economic times
- Longer life expectancies straining retirees' budgets
Debt
Saving for retirement is a lengthy process and often involves utilizing contributions to both a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) and a tax-free savings account (TFSA) as well as other types of investment vehicles.
However, statistics show Canadians are saving only four per cent of their disposable income and, despite the billions of dollars invested in RRSPs and TFSAs, have plenty of room to add more to their retirement nest eggs.
CBC News has compiled a number of important figures on retirement and financial planning in Canada. All figures are from Statistics Canada unless otherwise indicated.
Saving with RRSPs...
5,953,370 — number of Canadians who contributed to an RRSP in 2011 (down slightly from 5,956,010 in 2010).
24% — percentage of eligible tax filers who contributed to an RRSP in 2011 (down from 26% in 2010).
$34.4 billion — total RRSP contributions in 2011 (up from $33.9 billion in 2010).
$772.5 billion — total amount Canadians were entitled to contribute to RRSPs as of 2011.
$683.6 billion — total unused RRSP contribution room as of 2011 (accumulating since 1991).
22.7 million — number of Canadians with RRSP contribution room in 2011.
$2,830 — median RRSP contribution in Canada in 2011 (up from $2,790 in 2010).
$4,750 — highest median RRSP contribution in 2011 (Nunavut).
$2,310 — lowest median RRSP contribution in 2011 (Manitoba).
$775 billion — the total value of assets in Canadian RRSPs in 2011 (down from in $782 billion in 2010), according to Investor Economics.
$22,970 — maximum allowable RRSP contribution per person for the 2012 tax year.
$301,478 — amount in an RRSP at age 65 if a person started contributing $2,000 every year from age 25 (assuming five per cent compound annual growth and 1.5 per cent inflation), according to the Fiscal Agents investment calculator.
$158,888 — amount in an RRSP at age 65 if a person started contributing $2,000 every year from age 35 (assuming five per cent compound annual growth and 1.5 per cent inflation), according to Fiscal Agents.
$75,080 — amount in an RRSP at age 65 if a person started contributing $2,000 every year from age 45 (assuming five per cent compound annual growth and 1.5 per cent inflation), according to Fiscal Agents.
...or TFSAs
$73.9 billion — value of tax-free savings accounts in Canada as of June 2012 (up from $54.4 billion the year earlier), according to to data from the consulting firm Investor Economics.
10 million — number of TFSAs in Canada as of June 2012 (up from 8.56 million the year earlier), according to Investor Economics.
$7,400 — average account holding for TFSA as of June 2012 (up from $6,354 the year earlier), according to Investor Economics.
$5,500 — annual contribution limit for 2013, an increase from the $5,000 annual limit that has been in place since the accounts were created in 2009.
$25,500 — The maximum amount you can put into a TFSA during 2013 if you've never contributed before and were 18 or older in 2009.
...While managing debt:
164.62% — household debt (including consumer credit, mortgage and loan debt) as percentage of disposable income (as of third quarter of 2012). This means for every $1,000 in after-tax income, Canadian households owed a record $1,646.
14 — years an average 50-year-old Canadian in 2009 could expect to work before retiring.
12.5 — years an average 50-year-old Canadian in 1993 could expect to work before retiring.
78.8/83.3 — average life expectancy at birth of Canadian men and women, respectively, in 2009.
$63,000 — average 2010 income for an elderly family (defined as one in which the major earner is 65 or older).
4% — percentage of personal disposable income Canadians save (as of end of 2011).
20.2% — peak personal savings rate for Canadians to date (achieved in 1982).
Corrections and Clarifications
- An earlier version of this story gave $22,450 as the maximum allowable RRSP contribution per person in 2012. In fact, the maximum contribution for the 2012 tax year is $22,970. Jan. 7, 2012 | 1:35 p.m. ET
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Search for Oklahoma tornado survivors nearly complete

- Rescue workers raced to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children.

more »
- Video forensics: How easy would it be to fake a Rob Ford video?
- Two media outlets reported last week that they had seen a cellphone video of Mayor Rob Ford allegedly smoking crack, a claim that has gone global. If a video does surface, how easy would it be to determine its authenticity? CBC News asked video forensic analyst David McKay. more »
- Eritreans in Canada say consul still demands cash from them
- Evidence obtained by CBC News suggests Eritrea's top diplomat in Canada is again soliciting taxes from the Eritrean community despite a threat by Canada eight months ago not to renew his credentials if he kept at it. more »
- Senate sends Duffy expense audit for 2nd internal review
- The Senate decided to send Senator Mike Duffy's audit report back to its internal committee for a second review, despite objections from the Liberal Senate leader, who argued the RCMP should be tasked with the job. more »
- How the weather info that storm chasers use can keep you safe
- Radar imagery and a stream of weather information are readily available to the public when severe weather bears down. more »
Must Watch
Latest Business Headlines
- Carney's parting advice: play to Canada's strengths
- Outgoing Bank of Canada governor said Canada's economy is poised for growth as long as all stakeholders keep pulling in the same direction. more »
- B.C. mine's temporary foreign workers case dismissed
- The Federal Court of Canada has dismissed a challenge launched by two unions against a company that hired more than 200 temporary workers from China for its coal mine in northeastern B.C. more »
- Most wish they could ditch wallet, PayPal poll suggests
- A survey from the e-commerce firm PayPal suggests the majority of people in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Germany and Australia wish they could leave their wallet at home and pay for purchases in a less cumbersome way. more »
- Home Depot profit up 18% as renovation rebounds
- Home Depot Inc.'s first-quarter net income rose 18 per cent, thanks to the ongoing housing recovery, despite a chilly and wet spring. more »
Markets
| Index | Last Trade | Change |
|---|---|---|
| TSX COMPOSITE | 12742.43 | 129.38 |
| DOW | 15387.58 | 52.30 |
| NASDAQ | 3502.12 | 5.69 |
| SP 500 | 1669.16 | 2.87 |
| TSX-VENTURE | 939.41 | 4.73 |
The data on this site is informational only and may be delayed; it is not intended as trading or investment advice and you should not rely on it as such.

