Homeownership Statistics in Canada

Historically, owning your own home has been an important life goal for most people. Your own home represents security and stability and is an investment in your future. However, in recent years, homeownership has been falling in Canada while the number of renters has been increasing.

Understanding the statistics and trends of homeownership is important not just for policymakers and the housing industry, but for all homeowners and prospective buyers, too. 

In this article, you will find key statistics on Canadian homeownership, including who is most likely to own a home in Canada and how homeownership has changed over the years. 

Homeownership Statistics for Canadians

• Canada’s homeownership rate was expected to be around 67.0% by the end of 2025.
• Between the two Canadian censuses of 2016 and 2021, the portion of Canadians living in owner‑occupied homes fell from 69% to 66.5%.
• Baby Boomers are the biggest homeowner age groups, accounting for around 40% of homeowners.
• Just under 60% of new homes were owner‑occupied in 2021. 
• Approximately 35.5% of Canadian homeowners have a mortgage.
• The value of owner‑occupied homes grew significantly between the 2016 and 2021 censuses.
• At the end of 2025, the average house price in Canada was $673,400. 
• Couples, high‑income earners, established immigrants, and university graduates are more likely to own their homes in Canada.

Homeownership in Canada

Between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, homeownership declined across Canada and overall, there were 2.5% fewer Canadians living in owner-occupied homes in 2021 compared to a decade earlier. The portion of Canadians who lived in owner-occupied homes in 2021 was 66.5%. The only region where homeownership increased was the Northwest Territories where homeownership went up by 2% from 51.5% to 53.5%.

Prince Edward Island saw the largest decrease in homeownership at 4.6% from 73.4% to 68.8%. Other provinces that saw large drops in owner-occupied homes were Nova Scotia where homeownership was 66.8% after falling by 4%, British Columbia with a 3.2% fall to 66.8%, and Ontario with a 3.1% fall to 68.4%.

Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest homeownership rate in 2021 at 75.7%. New Brunswick and Alberta had the second and third highest rates at 73% and 70.9%, respectively. The lowest ownership rate was in Nunavut where only 19.2% of the population lived in an owner-occupied home. It was followed by the Northwest Territories with 53.5% and Quebec with 59.9%. However, Quebec saw the smallest drop in ownership rates at 1.3%.

When compared to other OECD (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, Canada’s homeownership rate is below the 71.5% average across the OECD.

Canadians Under 75 Years of Age Less Likely to Own Than Before

Data collected in the 2011 and 2021 censuses shows that Canadians were less likely to own their place in 2021 than in 2011 in almost all age groups. The rate of homeownership decreased the most among 25-29-year-old Canadians from 44.1% in 2011 to 36.5% in 2021. The rate fell from 59.2% to 52.3% for the 30-34 age group, which was the second biggest decrease.

While the ownership rates fell among the older age groups, too, the changes were more subtle. For example, homeownership fell by just 0.7%, from 75.5% to 74.8%, among Canadians aged 70 to 74. The ownership rate increased among the over 85-year-olds largely driven by the ageing population’s high homeownership rates. 41.3% of homes are owned by Canadians aged 56 to 75, the largest home-owning age group.

Newly Built Homes Less Likely to Be Bought by Owner-Occupiers

Homes built in Canada since the 2016 census are less likely to be bought by owner-occupiers than investors. The share of owner-occupiers in new homes was the lowest in Quebec where only 38.7% of homes were lived in by the owners. It was followed by Halifax with 39.3% of owner-occupied new homes.

Among the largest cities in Canada, Montréal had the lowest portion of homeownership of newly built homes at 44.9%. Toronto and Vancouver came next with 56.6% and 57.4%, respectively. Calgary and Edmonton had the highest portions of new homes being lived in by the owners at 68.8% and 70.1%.

Overall, the rate of new homes that were lived in by the owners in Canada was 59.6% in 2021. This is considerably lower than it was between the 2011 and 2015 censuses when 71.5% of homes built in the last five years were owner-occupied. The highest rate of owner-occupied new homes was in 2001.2005 with 77.3%.

Mortgages in Canada

Approximately 35.5% of Canadian homeowners have a mortgage, based on the most recent household data. This was a slightly bigger portion compared with the same period in 2021 when about 29.63% had mortgages. More homeowners now carry mortgage debt as part of their housing costs. Canadians aged 35–54 continue to be among the most likely to have a mortgage on their home.

Among Canadian homeowners, millennials are still likely to have larger mortgages on average, having often purchased their homes more recently. According to the 2021 census, millennial homeowners paid on average $2,124 per month on their mortgages. The average monthly mortgage payment for all new mortgage loans in Canada was about $2,099 in the second quarter of 2024, with higher averages in some provinces such as British Columbia.

Canadian Homeowners in Ontario Expected Biggest Growth in Value

The census from 2021 asked homeowners in Canada what they would expect to get for their homes if they were to sell. The average expected value grew the most in Ontario at 59.4%, followed by British Columbia at 36.3% and Quebec at 29.8%.

In the territories, the average expected value grew by 22.6%, and in Atlantic Canada by 21.1%. Homeowners living in the Prairie provinces reported the slowest growth of just 2.2%.

House Prices Grew by Almost 40% Between the 2016 and 2021 Censuses

Canada has seen record house prices in recent years and the average value of owner-occupied homes rose by 39.6% between 2016 and 2021. During the same period, median household income after tax grew by 9.8%. When house prices grow faster than incomes, it makes it harder for people to buy a home.

Because of the rising prices, the net worth of homeowners in Canada has risen, too. Between 1999 and 2019, the net worth in 2019 constant dollars rose from $323,700 to $685,400.

House Prices in Canada Are Up From 2024

In December 2025, the average home price in Canada was $673,400, which was 0.3% lower than in November 2025 ($675,400) and roughly flat compared to December 2024. With 39,134 sales in December 2025, transactions were relatively stable compared to the previous year.

Among Canada’s biggest cities, Greater Vancouver had the highest average house price at about $1,138,200. It was followed by Greater Toronto where the average home cost about $962,300. Elsewhere, prices were lower. In Ottawa, the average was around $710,000, in Montreal $674,700, in Calgary $565,100, in Edmonton $418,500, and in Winnipeg $392,700.

Compared to the year before, home price trends were mixed: Montreal saw notable increases year‑over‑year of around 8.7%, while other large markets such as Vancouver and Toronto recorded modest declines on a year‑over‑year basis.

British Columbia had one of the highest average house prices among provinces, at close to $946,100 in April 2025, followed by Ontario at about $859,600. However, both provinces experienced softening or slight decreases in average prices compared with early 2024 levels. More affordable average house prices were generally found in Saskatchewan at about $360,500 and Manitoba at about $403,600 by April 2025.

Homeowner Demographics in Canada

Canadians with higher educational backgrounds are more likely to own their own home than Canadians who finished their education after getting their high school diploma. Around 55% of Canadians who have a high school diploma own their own home compared to 67.7% of those who have a university degree.

The rate of homeownership is the highest, at 78%, among couples whether they have children or not. Among lone-parent families, the ownership rate is 44.8%, and unattached individuals 38.6%.

Established immigrants, people who have been in Canada for at least five years, are more likely to live in owner-occupied homes than Canadian-born individuals or recent immigrants. 69.7% of established immigrants live in owner-occupied homes compared to 61.9% of people born in Canada and 38.7% of recent immigrants.

Homeownership among self-employed Canadians is 75.5%. It is higher than the ownership rate among paid employees at 64.4% or those not in the labour force at 56.6%.

The portion of homeowners increases with income in Canada. Only 24.5% of Canadians in the bottom family income quintile live in owner-occupied homes. 53% of Canadians in the second quintile are homeowners, 69% in the third quintile, and 79.4% in the fourth quintile. The Canadians in the top income bracket are the most likely to be owner-occupiers with a rate of 88.2%.

Conclusion

The portion of Canadians living in owner-occupied homes has decreased slightly in recent years, as more people are renting and younger people are living in their parental homes for longer. Baby Boomers remain the largest homeowner group in Canada, while Millennials are most likely to carry the largest mortgages.

Home prices in Canada have risen by around 39–40% since 2016, and at the same time, the net worth of homeowners has increased by over $300,000 on average. British Columbia and Ontario continue to have the highest house prices in Canada, while Saskatchewan and Manitoba maintain the lowest average house prices.