Data · to August 2026

Canadian insolvency statistics

Canadians filed 146,135 consumer insolvencies in the 12 months to August 2026, up 5.8% from the 12 months before. Consumer proposals made up 78% of them. Business insolvencies totalled 4,758, down 6.6%. That is more consumer insolvencies than in any calendar year since 2009.

Compiled by Joshua Harris, Licensed Insolvency Trustee. Updated from Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada data. Refreshed every month.

The latest 12 months

Consumer insolvencies
146,135
▲ +5.8% on the year before
Filed as consumer proposals
78%
The rest were bankruptcies
Business insolvencies
4,758
▼ −6.6% on the year before
Highest consumer total since
2009
Peak: 151,712 in 2009

Totals for the 12 months to August 2026, compared with the 12 months before. All figures are counts of new filings.

What the numbers show

  • In 2025, 140,457 Canadians filed a consumer insolvency (+2.3% on 2024): 110,168 consumer proposals and 30,289 bankruptcies.
  • Consumer proposals overtook bankruptcies in 2017 and have outnumbered them every year since. A proposal lets people repay part of what they owe and keep their assets, so it has become the most common way Canadians resolve unmanageable debt.
  • Consumer filings peaked in 2009, after the financial crisis, at 151,712. The latest 12 months (146,135) are the highest since 2009.
  • Among provinces with at least 1,000 filings a year, British Columbia had the fastest growth in consumer insolvencies: +13.8% in the 12 months to August 2026.
  • 4,840 businesses filed in 2025 (−21.8% on the year before), well below the 14,820 of 1996.

Consumer insolvencies in Canada, 1987–2025

New consumer proposals and bankruptcies filed each year

  • Proposals
  • Bankruptcies
Show the numbers as a table
Year ProposalsBankruptcies Total
2025 110,16830,289 140,457
2024 108,25529,040 137,295
2023 97,01726,216 123,233
2022 75,59824,586 100,184
2021 62,63127,461 90,092
2020 63,57832,880 96,458
2019 82,76954,409 137,178
2018 70,17555,091 125,266
2017 64,22957,969 122,198
2016 62,50663,372 125,878
2015 58,20363,406 121,609
2014 53,21164,839 118,050
2013 49,45469,224 118,678
2012 46,90371,495 118,398
2011 45,00677,993 122,999
2010 42,31492,694 135,008
2009 35,331116,381 151,712
2008 25,17990,610 115,789
2007 21,44679,847 101,293
2006 19,24379,245 98,488
2005 18,00284,602 102,604
2004 16,64884,408 101,056
2003 16,48684,232 100,718
2002 15,15378,163 93,316
2001 14,03679,383 93,419
2000 12,76875,087 87,855
1999 10,27272,984 83,256
1998 7,43375,423 82,856
1997 5,14385,234 90,377
1996 3,73279,504 83,236
1995 2,82665,332 68,158
1994 2,30053,538 55,838
1993 2,17954,439 56,618
1992 1,05661,587 62,643
1991 98162,033 63,014
1990 58442,740 43,324
1989 35829,155 29,513
1988 32525,823 26,148
1987 29924,436 24,735

Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada

Business insolvencies in Canada, 1987–2025

New business proposals and bankruptcies filed each year

  • Proposals
  • Bankruptcies
Show the numbers as a table
Year ProposalsBankruptcies Total
2025 1,1263,714 4,840
2024 1,4174,771 6,188
2023 1,1083,702 4,810
2022 7812,621 3,402
2021 5381,942 2,480
2020 6782,108 2,786
2019 9342,746 3,680
2018 9032,677 3,580
2017 9092,700 3,609
2016 9652,884 3,849
2015 1,0183,089 4,107
2014 1,1033,116 4,219
2013 1,0943,187 4,281
2012 1,1173,236 4,353
2011 1,1323,643 4,775
2010 1,1544,072 5,226
2009 1,3095,420 6,729
2008 1,2816,164 7,445
2007 1,3196,293 7,612
2006 1,4246,747 8,171
2005 1,6437,537 9,180
2004 1,7318,136 9,867
2003 1,8298,849 10,678
2002 1,9099,463 11,372
2001 1,84910,399 12,248
2000 1,76110,060 11,821
1999 1,56810,033 11,601
1998 1,32910,795 12,124
1997 1,21212,192 13,404
1996 1,22113,599 14,820
1995 98212,819 13,801
1994 85111,390 12,241
1993 88512,440 13,325
1992 31414,379 14,693
1991 30213,568 13,870
1990 31611,716 12,032
1989 1998,735 8,934
1988 1788,146 8,324
1987 1797,768 7,947

Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada

By province and territory

Filings in the 12 months to August 2026, with the change from the 12 months before.

Province or territory Consumer insolvencies Change Consumer proposal share Business insolvencies Change
Ontario 56,333 ▲ +8.6% 79% 1,423 ▼ −3.4%
Quebec 35,418 ▲ +3.1% 70% 2,571 ▼ −6.9%
Alberta 18,947 ▼ −0.6% 85% 302 ▼ −9.9%
British Columbia 16,470 ▲ +13.8% 85% 266 ▼ −11.0%
Nova Scotia 4,340 ▲ +1.2% 74% 46 ▼ −17.9%
Manitoba 4,179 ▲ +9.4% 77% 37 ▲ +5.7%
Saskatchewan 3,642 ▲ +0.2% 79% 40 ▼ −33.3%
New Brunswick 3,591 ▲ +2.2% 77% 44 ▲ +7.3%
Newfoundland and Labrador 2,405 ▲ +0.1% 79% 22 0.0%
Prince Edward Island 650 ▲ +13.4% 77% 5 ▼ −16.7%
Northwest Territories 72 ▲ +24.1% 90% 1 n/a
Yukon 66 ▲ +15.8% 80% 0 ▼ −100.0%
Nunavut 22 ▲ +120.0% 95% 1 n/a
Canada 146,135 ▲ +5.8% 78% 4,758 ▼ −6.6%

Province names link to our debt-help guide for that province, where we have one. Small territories can swing sharply on a handful of filings.

Common questions

How many Canadians file for bankruptcy each year?

30,289 consumers filed for bankruptcy in 2025, and another 110,168 filed a consumer proposal instead, for 140,457 consumer insolvencies in all. Our guide to bankruptcy in Canada explains how it works and what it costs.

How many consumer proposals are filed in Canada?

110,168 in 2025, which is 78% of consumer insolvencies. See our consumer proposal guide for who qualifies and what a proposal costs.

Which province has the most insolvencies?

Ontario, with 56,333 consumer insolvencies in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by Quebec (35,418) and Alberta (18,947). Larger provinces have more filings simply because more people live there.

Where do these numbers come from?

Every Licensed Insolvency Trustee in Canada reports each bankruptcy and proposal they file to the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, which publishes the counts monthly. We take the OSB's monthly spreadsheet (published under the Open Government Licence – Canada) and add up the years and 12-month totals. A consumer is someone whose debts are mostly personal rather than from running a business. The OSB sometimes revises recent months, and we pick up revisions when it publishes them.

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The Paydown. "Canadian insolvency statistics." Data from the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, to August 2026. https://thepaydown.ca/data/insolvency-statistics/

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<p style="font-size:14px">Chart: <a href="https://thepaydown.ca/data/insolvency-statistics/">Canadian insolvency statistics</a> from The Paydown. Data: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada.</p>

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