Canada Business Confidence

OECD standardised business confidence indicator (long-term average = 100).

Business Confidence in Canada decreased to 99.56 points in Apr 2026 from 99.57 points in Mar 2026.

99.56
▼ −0.01Apr 2026 · previous 99.57Monthly · index points · Source: OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Canada Business Confidence — History

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Canada Business Confidence — analysis in simple words

Latest reading

Business Confidence in Canada decreased to 99.56 points in Apr 2026 from 99.57 points in Mar 2026.

Over the last three months it rose twice and fell once.

Recent trend

A year earlier (Apr 2025) it was 97.91, so the latest figure is 1.65 higher.

Over the past five years the average was 99.75, with a range from 97.33 to 104.41. The latest value is below that five-year average.

Historical context

This data series starts in Jul 1998 and has 334 monthly observations. The latest reading is higher than 36% of all of them.

The highest value on record is 104.41 (Oct 2021) and the lowest is 94.36 (Dec 2008). The long-run average is 100.00.

Compared with other countries

Among 45 economies with recent data, Canada ranks 29th from the top. The median across all these economies is 99.98, so Canada is below the typical country.

Among 17 major economies tracked on this site it ranks 10th.

Statistics

Latest
99.56Apr 2026
Previous
99.57
5-year average
99.75
Long-run average
100.00since Jul 1998
All-time high
104.41Oct 2021
All-time low
94.36Dec 2008
Observations
334Monthly

Recent Data

PeriodValueChange
Apr 202699.56▼ −0.01
Mar 202699.57▲ +0.02
Feb 202699.54▲ +0.12
Jan 202699.42▲ +0.27
Dec 202599.15▲ +0.35
Nov 202598.80▲ +0.32
Oct 202598.48▲ +0.22
Sep 202598.25▲ +0.15
Aug 202598.10▲ +0.10
Jul 202598.00▲ +0.06
Jun 202597.94▲ +0.03
May 202597.91▲ +0.00
Apr 202597.91▼ −0.05
Mar 202597.96▼ −0.10
Feb 202598.06▼ −0.16
Jan 202598.22▼ −0.23
Dec 202498.46▼ −0.23
Nov 202498.68▼ −0.10
Oct 202498.79▲ +0.12
Sep 202498.67▲ +0.25
Aug 202498.42▲ +0.27
Jul 202498.15▲ +0.22
Jun 202497.93▲ +0.15
May 202497.79▲ +0.05
Apr 202497.73▼ −0.06
Mar 202497.80▼ −0.11
Feb 202497.90▼ −0.05
Jan 202497.95▲ +0.08
Dec 202397.87▲ +0.16
Nov 202397.71

Business Confidence — Canada vs Peers

Latest available reading for each economy (periods may differ). Canada highlighted.

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More Canada indicators

GDP Annual Growth Rate1.1%Q2 2026Interest Rate2.25%Sep 2026Inflation Rate3.0%Aug 2026Unemployment Rate6.5%Sep 2026Government Debt to GDP113.6%2025Balance of Trade-$19.6B2025Current Account to GDP-1.0%2025GDP$2,319.9B2025GDP Growth Rate0.82%Q2 2026Industrial Production1.2%Jul 2026Composite Leading Indicator101.92Sep 2026
Canada economy overview →   Business Confidence — all countries →

Understanding Business Confidence — a simple guide

What it measures

The OECD standardised business confidence indicator, based on surveys asking companies about production, orders and stocks.

How it is calculated

Survey answers from businesses are combined and standardised by the OECD so that 100 equals the long-term average.

Simple example

A reading of 101.5 means businesses are somewhat more optimistic than their long-run norm.

▲ When it is high or rising

High confidence often comes before more investment and hiring.

▼ When it is low or falling

Low confidence often comes before cuts in production and investment.

Why it matters for the economy and markets

Confident businesses tend to invest and hire more, so this survey often moves ahead of actual production and employment data.

How to read it

100 is the long-term average. Values above 100 mean companies are more optimistic than usual; below 100, more pessimistic.

What to look at alongside it

Industrial production, PMI-type surveys and the leading indicator.

Key terms

Survey indicator
Based on opinions of managers rather than measured output.

Data source

OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (series OECD business confidence (BCI)), monthly data from Jul 1998 to Apr 2026. Values are shown exactly as published by the source and may be revised later.

How to use the chart

Use the 5Y / 10Y / 25Y / Max buttons to change the time range, or drag the slider under the chart. Hover (or tap) on the line to see the exact value for any period. Dashed lines and hatched bars are IMF projections, not actual data. The “Download CSV” button gives you the full data series.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current business confidence of Canada?
Canada business confidence was 99.56 in Apr 2026, compared with 99.57 in the previous period, according to OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest and lowest business confidence of Canada?
Since Jul 1998, the highest reading was 104.41 (Oct 2021) and the lowest was 94.36 (Dec 2008).
What does business confidence measure?
The OECD standardised business confidence indicator, based on surveys asking companies about production, orders and stocks.

Data are sourced from official international organisations (IMF, World Bank, BIS) and national authorities, and are shown for educational and informational purposes only. They are not investment advice and no recommendation is made. Figures may be revised by the source; IMF figures for the current and future years are projections. This page was last updated on Saturday, October 17, 2026.