TORONTO – Canadians are still adding to household debt, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year, according to a new study from Equifax.
The credit rating agency says debt for those with a credit file, which includes most adults, rose two per cent in the second quarter of 2015 after rising 2.7 per cent in the first quarter.
Total consumer debt now amounts to $1.568 trillion, with the average debt load, excluding mortgage debt, totalling $21,164.
MORE: Debt hits new all-time high among Canadian households
Alberta debts
Albertans top the list, with an average of $27,313 in consumer debt for every person with a credit file.
Yet Equifax says the average debt load in the oil-rich province ticked 0.1 per cent lower from the second quarter of 2014.
Equifax said Canadians are adding to consumer debt to buy new cars, with auto loans increasing by 3.9 per cent from the same period last year.
The all-in picture of household balance sheets in Canada shows more of the same — Canadians continuing to pile on debt to make big-ticket purchases.
Statistics Canada said last week the amount of household credit market debt to disposable income in the second quarter rose to 164.6 per cent from 163.0 per cent in the first quarter as debt grew faster than income.
That means Canadians owed nearly $1.65 in debt on everything from mortgages to consumer loans for every dollar of disposable income — a new record.
WATCH: A new survey from the Canadian Payroll Association shows Canadians are having a hard time saving money. Global BC’s Nadia Stewart reports.
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