Most Canadian adults do not have a will that is up to date. At the same time, roughly 327,000 people die in Canada every year, and the country is entering the largest wealth transfer in its history.
This page gathers the most important numbers on wills, inheritance and estates in Canada. Every figure is linked to a source listed at the foot of the page. Updated June 2026.
How many Canadians have a will
A will is the document that lets you decide who receives your property. Yet survey after survey shows that a majority of Canadian adults have not made one, or are working from an outdated version.
1. 51 percent of Canadians have no will
In the most widely cited national survey on the subject, 51 percent of Canadian adults said they had no last will and testament in place at all.1
2. Only 35 percent have a will that is up to date
Just 35 percent of Canadians said they had a will that was current, while a further 15 percent had a will that was out of date and no longer reflected their wishes.2
3. Younger adults are far less likely to have a will
Among adults aged 18 to 34, only about 15 percent had an up-to-date will. The share rises to roughly 29 percent for those aged 35 to 54 and to about 58 percent for those aged 55 and over.3 We break this down further in how many Canadians have a will.
4. "Too young" is the most common excuse
Asked why they had not made a will, 25 percent of Canadians said they were too young to worry about it, and 23 percent said they did not have enough assets to make a will worthwhile.4
Deaths and the scale of estates
Every death sets an estate in motion. The number of deaths each year is a direct measure of how many Canadian families face the administration of an estate.
5. About 327,000 deaths a year in Canada
Statistics Canada recorded 326,779 deaths in 2024, almost unchanged from the 326,571 deaths in 2023. That is roughly 327,000 estates opened each year.5
6. The average age at death keeps rising
With a life expectancy at birth of about 81.7 years, most Canadians now die in old age. Life expectancy at age 65 is roughly another 20 years, which is why planning early matters. See our full breakdown in life expectancy in Canada.6
7. Cremation is now the default
About 77 percent of Canadians who died were cremated in 2024, a share that has climbed steadily for decades and shapes the cost of a funeral. More in what a funeral costs in Canada.7
The great wealth transfer
Canada is at the start of an unprecedented handover of money between generations, driven by the aging of the baby boomers and decades of rising house prices.
8. Roughly $1 trillion to change hands
Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada estimated that about $1 trillion in wealth would move from baby boomers to their Gen X and millennial children between 2023 and 2026 alone.8
9. $750 billion to boomers themselves
An earlier CIBC analysis projected that baby boomers under 75 would themselves inherit around $750 billion over a single decade, the largest transfer of wealth in Canadian history.9
10. Living gifts are growing fast
CIBC found that the average monetary gift given during the giver's lifetime rose to about $115,000 in 2024, up from roughly $66,000 in 2019. Much of this is parents helping children into the housing market.10 We look at typical amounts in how much Canadians inherit on average.
11. Canada has no federal inheritance tax
Canada is the only G7 country with no inheritance or estate tax. Instead, a deceased person is treated as having sold their assets at death, so capital gains may apply, but heirs do not pay a direct tax on what they receive.11
Net worth and what is at stake
The size of an estate depends on household wealth, and Canadian net worth has grown sharply, concentrated above all in real estate.
12. Median household net worth is $519,700
According to Statistics Canada's 2023 Survey of Financial Security, the median net worth of Canadian households reached $519,700, up 57 percent from 2019.12
13. Pre-retirement households are wealthiest
Households where the main earner is aged 55 to 64 had the highest median net worth, at $873,400, while seniors aged 65 and over held a median of $739,000.13 See average net worth in Canada for the full age table.
14. Homeowners hold vastly more than renters
Among households aged 55 to 64, homeowners had a median net worth of $1,241,800, nearly 30 times the $43,000 median of renters in the same age band.14
Dying without a will
When someone dies without a valid will, they die intestate, and provincial law decides who inherits, not the deceased.
15. Intestacy rules vary by province
If you die without a will, a fixed statutory formula applies. In Ontario, for example, a spouse receives a preferential share before the remainder is divided with children. The deceased has no say over the split.15 Our guide explains the consequences in dying without a will in Canada.
16. Common-law partners are not automatically protected
In several provinces, a common-law partner has no automatic right to inherit under the intestacy rules, even after many years together. A will is the only reliable way to provide for an unmarried partner.16
17. Dependants can still claim
Even with a will, dependants who were not adequately provided for may bring a claim under dependants' relief legislation. We cover the limits of disinheritance in can you disinherit a dependant in Canada.17
18. A handwritten will is valid in most provinces
A holographic (handwritten) will needs no witnesses and is recognized in most provinces, though not in British Columbia or Prince Edward Island. See holographic wills in Canada and how to write a will.18
What other sources show
To round out the picture, here are figures from Statistics Canada and the OECD that put Canadian estates in an international context.
19. Canada's population is aging
According to Statistics Canada, the number of people aged 65 and over passed 7.5 million and now makes up roughly one in five Canadians, the cohort most likely to face estate decisions in the near term.19
20. Real estate dominates household wealth
Statistics Canada reports that real estate is the single largest asset class for Canadian families, which means most estates are tied up in a home rather than in cash.20
21. Canadian household debt is high by OECD standards
The OECD notes that Canadian household debt is among the highest in the developed world relative to disposable income, so an estate's net value can be far lower than the headline value of the property.21
22. Quebec uses a distinct system
Quebec is the only province governed by civil law rather than common law, and it offers a notarial will registered with the Chambre des notaires. We explain the difference in the notarial will in Quebec.22
The most important lesson behind these numbers: the averages say little about your own situation. What matters is whether your wishes are written down and legally valid. For a guided start, read how to write a will, choose a will template for Canada, or compare formats in holographic wills in Canada.
Sources
- 1Angus Reid Institute (angusreid.org)
- 2Angus Reid Institute (angusreid.org)
- 3Angus Reid Institute (angusreid.org)
- 4Angus Reid Institute (angusreid.org)
- 5Statistics Canada (statcan.gc.ca)
- 6Statistics Canada (statcan.gc.ca)
- 7Canadian Funerals (canadianfunerals.com)
- 8CBC News / CPA Canada (cbc.ca)
- 9CBC News / CIBC (cbc.ca)
- 10CIBC Economics (mpamag.com)
- 11Canada Revenue Agency (canada.ca)
- 12Statistics Canada (statcan.gc.ca)
- 13Statistics Canada (statcan.gc.ca)
- 14Statistics Canada (statcan.gc.ca)
- 15Government of Ontario (ontario.ca)
- 16Government of Ontario (ontario.ca)
- 17Government of Ontario (ontario.ca)
- 18Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (canada.ca)
- 19Statistics Canada (statcan.gc.ca)
- 20Statistics Canada (statcan.gc.ca)
- 21OECD (oecd.org)
- 22Chambre des notaires du Quebec (cnq.org)
About the author
Max Kuch
Max Kuch has spent years studying estate law, succession planning and the consumer questions that surround inheritance. For Get a Will he gathers and summarizes the leading data from Statistics Canada, the OECD and other authoritative bodies, and presents the numbers in a clear, accessible way.