The Evolution of Wealth Inequality in Canada, 1984-1999

Using data from the Assets and Debts Survey of 1984 and the Survey of Financial Security of 1999, we document the evolution of wealth inequality in Canada between 1984 and 1999. Our main findings are as follows: 1) wealth inequality has increased between 1984 and 1999, 2) the growth in wealth inequality has been associated with substantial declines in real average and median wealth for young couples with children and recent immigrants, 3) real median wealth and real average wealth rose much more among family units whose major income recipient is a university graduate than among other family units, 4) real median and average wealth fell among family units whose major income recipient is aged 25-34 and increased among those whose major income recipient is aged 55 and over, 5) the aging of the Canadian population over the 1984-1999 period has tended to reduce wealth inequality, 6) diverging changes in permanent income do not explain a substantial portion of the growing gap between low-wealth and high-wealth family units. Factors that may have contributed to rising wealth inequality - which cannot be quantified with existing data sets - include differences in the growth of inheritances, inter vivos transfers, rates of return on savings and number of years worked full-time. In particular, rates of return on savings may have increased more for wealthy family units than for their poorer counterparts as a result of the booming stock market during the 1990s.