In part 2 of what has now become budget week, I’m following up yesterday’s budget charts with debt charts. Once again, I’m comparing data between the federal government and provinces using data collected by the Royal Bank of Canada.

  1. Net debt. As with the budget balances, debt is not exactly comparable between jurisdictions. These charts should just give you a general idea of the different debt patterns between governments.
  2. Net debt relative to GDP. Shows the debt as a percentage of the GDP for that jurisdiction at that year.
  3. Net debt per capita. The net debt per person in that jurisdiction. That is, the net debt divided by the number of people living in that area. I’m not sure if any distinction is made between residents and citizens when calculating per person.
  4. Net debt adjusted for inflation. The net debt, adjusted for 2015 dollars to compensate for inflation.

Source: Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Federal and Provincial Fiscal Tables for September 15, 2015, with the inflation adjustments courtesy of the Bank of Canada’s Inflation Calculator