Statistics Canada says household debt ratio up in second quarter

Statistics Canada says the amount Canadians owe relative to their income moved higher in the second quarter as the level of debt grew faster than their earnings.

The agency says household credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income rose to 181.7% on a seasonally adjusted basis in the second quarter, up from 179.7% in the first quarter.

In other words, there was about $1.82 in credit market debt for every dollar of household disposable income in the second quarter.

The increase came as households’ disposable income increased 1.0%, but household credit market debt rose 2.1%.

Statistics Canada said, on a seasonally adjusted basis, households added $56.3 billion of debt in the second quarter — including $48.7 billion in mortgages.

The household debt service ratio — measured as total obligated payments of principal and interest on credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income — was 13.63% in the second quarter compared with 13.34% in the first quarter.

The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is a national news agency headquartered in Toronto and founded in 1917.