Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap in Canada
Canada: Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap was 39.72 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 2025. ▼ Falling
Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap in Canada, 1997–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of prime-age employees wage.
Analysis
The most recent figure for wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap in Canada is 39.72 Percentage of prime-age employees wage, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap in Canada peaked at 43.65 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 1997 and was at its lowest, 38.66 Percentage of prime-age employees wage, in 2024.
That places Canada 11th out of 35 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap in Canada, year by year
| Year | Percentage of prime-age employees wage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 43.65 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | — |
| 1998 | 42.97 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 43.17 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 42.53 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 42.25 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 43.27 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 42.79 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 43.61 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 42.99 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 41.67 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 41.72 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 41.06 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 40.63 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 40.95 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 40.65 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 40.82 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 40.86 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 40.73 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 41.48 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 41.96 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 42.27 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 40.04 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -5.3% |
| 2019 | 38.73 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 41.03 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 40.06 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 39.8 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 40.28 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 38.66 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | -4.0% |
| 2025 | 39.72 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 43.26 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 42.97 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 43.65 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 3 |
| 2000s | 42.25 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 40.63 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 43.61 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.85 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 38.73 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 42.27 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.92 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 38.66 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 41.03 Percentage of prime-age employees wage | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 8 Peru 41.06 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 9 Chile 40.94 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 10 Luxembourg 40.79 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 12 Australia 39.5 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 13 Denmark 38.25 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
- 14 United Kingdom 38.24 Percentage of prime-age employees wage compare
More work & labour data for Canada
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3334 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6552 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,234 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,715 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 26,798 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 26,814 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 53,612 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap in Canada?
- Wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap in Canada was 39.72 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 43.65 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 1997.
- What is the lowest wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.66 Percentage of prime-age employees wage in 2024.
- How does Canada rank for wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap?
- Canada ranks 11th out of 35 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage gap by age — youth to prime-age wage gap rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This dataset contains age wage gaps defined as the difference between mean (median) earnings of 25-54 year-olds and that of 15-24 year-olds (respectively 55-64 year-olds) relative to mean (median) earnings of 25-54 year-olds. Earnings refer to gross earnings of full-time dependent employees unless otherwise indicated.