More than half of Canadians plan to own shares by year-end

Canadians’ thirst for investing in equities outranks many international peers according to a new report.

More than one third of Canadians have bought shares in the past year – no doubt encouraged by the strong performance of North American stocks -  and a further 20% intend to do so before the end of 2021; there are also 6% who own shares but have not invested recently.

The figures from Finder’s Global Investing Adoption survey reveal that 39% of Canadians overall invest in stocks, putting Canada in 6th place among 16 countries for share of retail investors, ahead of countries including Australia, UK, Germany, France, South Africa, and Mexico. 

But how much are Canadians investing?

The study found that 7% have invested more than $15,000 in a 12 month period, 3% have invested $8,001-$15,000, 6% have invested $2,000-$8,000, and 17% have invested in less than $2,000 worth of shares.

“Interest in share trading among retail investors is on the rise, with more people set to buy shares by the end of the year in every country included in Finder’s research,” said Finder’s investments expert, Kylie Purcell. “The report also found that men (47%) are more likely than women (31%) to have invested in shares in Canada, in line with the global trend of an investing gender gap.”

% of the adult population who own shares, by country

1. Hong Kong - 57%
2. Singapore - 53%
3. United States - 47%
4. Sweden - 43%
5. New Zealand - 41%
6. Canada - 39%
7. South Africa - 37%
8. Australia - 36%
9. Ireland - 33%
10. The Netherlands - 29% 
11. United Kingdom - 28% (28.37%)
12. Germany - 28% (27.99%)
13. Italy - 26%
14. France - 23%
15.  Spain - 18%
16. Mexico - 13%

The full survey results are available at: https://www.finder.com/ca/stock-trading-statistics