Canada

Canada

Northern America

North America
76
Overall score
Strong overall
Language
English / French
Currency
CAD
Citizenship
3 of last 5 years
Personal tax
15–33% federal + provincial
Cost of living
CAD 2,400 / mo (single)

An English/French immigration leader with a clear points system, a genuine Start-up Visa to permanent residence and a fast 3-year citizenship clock, balanced by high taxes and housing costs.

Pros

  • Transparent Express Entry points system
  • Start-up Visa = direct PR
  • 3-year citizenship clock

Cons

  • High personal & capital-gains taxes
  • Expensive housing (Toronto/Vancouver)
  • Cold climate

Best for

Skilled workersFounders (Start-up Visa)Students seeking PR

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
97
Citizenship
73
Residence
72
Money & business
Taxes
45
Corporate tax
24
Business
50
Investment
80
Economy
78
Wealth building
61
Living, study & work
Education
86
Salary & work
69
Cost of living
38
Buying power
74
Quality of life
Safety
80
Healthcare
82
Infrastructure
86
HDI
94

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Excellent
97

Passport-index style mobility for the Canada passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

192 / 198
Mobility
#3
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free142
  • On arrival40
  • eTA10
  • Visa required6

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Good
73
Years required3 years (1,095 days) of physical presence in the last 5
Dual allowedtrue
LanguageCLB 4 English or French (ages 18–54) + knowledge test
ResidencePermanent resident with 1,095 days present in 5 years
NotesTime as a temporary resident/student can count partially toward the physical-presence requirement.
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Good
72
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Migrant stock22.2% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality1.36 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
Express Entry (FSW/CEC)Start-up VisaProvincial NomineeStudy → PGWP → PR
StudentStudy permit; up to 24 hrs/week off-campus during term.
WorkLMIA-based or exempt work permits; Global Talent Stream fast-tracks tech.
Self-employedStart-up Visa with designated VC/angel/incubator support → PR.
PermanentPR via Express Entry CRS draws or provincial nomination.

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Moderate
45
Personal15–33% federal + 4–25.75% provincial
Corporate9% small-business / 15% general federal + provincial (~26.5%)
Capital gains50% inclusion (66.7% above CAD 250k) taxed at marginal rate
DividendsGross-up & dividend tax credit system
Exit taxYes: deemed disposition of most assets on emigration
Foreign cosFAPI / CFC-style rules on passive foreign income
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Limited
40
Personal15–33% federal + 4–25.75% provincial
FreelanceSole proprietor or corporation; GST/HST registration above CAD 30k
Capital gains50% inclusion (66.7% above CAD 250k) taxed at marginal rate
DividendsGross-up & dividend tax credit system
Exit taxYes: deemed disposition of most assets on emigration
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Low
24
Corporate9% small-business / 15% general federal + provincial (~26.5%)
Capital gains50% inclusion (66.7% above CAD 250k) taxed at marginal rate
DividendsGross-up & dividend tax credit system
Foreign cosFAPI / CFC-style rules on passive foreign income
Business
Business friendliness
Moderate
50
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality1.36 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness1.76 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Yes: foreign ownership permitted
Local co.Federal or provincial incorporation; some provinces need a resident director
FreelanceSole proprietor or corporation; GST/HST registration above CAD 30k
Corporate tax9% small-business / 15% general federal + provincial (~26.5%)
Capital gains50% inclusion (66.7% above CAD 250k) taxed at marginal rate
Exit taxYes: deemed disposition of most assets on emigration
Foreign cosFAPI / CFC-style rules on passive foreign income
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Excellent
80
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Market cap150% of GDP (2024)
Private credit124% of GDP (2008)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gains50% inclusion (66.7% on large gains); registered accounts (TFSA/RRSP) shelter growth
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxNone
BrokersGood: Wealthsimple, Questrade, Interactive Brokers
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Good
78
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$2.2T (2024)
GDP / person$54,340 (2024)
GNI / person$63,630 PPP (2024)
GDP growth1.6% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation2.4% / yr (2024)
Unemployment6.9% (2025)
Output per worker$110,184 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture1.6% of GDP (2021)
Industry25.3% of GDP (2021)
Services66.4% of GDP (2021)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
Energy & oil sandsMiningForestryFinancial servicesTechnologyAgriculture
Top exports
Crude oil & gasVehicles & partsGold & mineralsLumberGrains
TypeHigh-income, resources- and services-led
Key sectorsNatural resources, Banking, Toronto & Vancouver tech hubs
SummaryA resource-rich G7 economy pairing energy and mining exports with strong banking and tech clusters.
CurrencyCanadian dollar (commodity-linked)
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Moderate
61
How this score is calculated

How favourable Canada is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Excellent
82
Business
Moderate
56
Investment
Good
74
Tax friendliness
Moderate
45
Cost of living
Limited
38

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Excellent
86
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling15.9 years (2023)
Mean schooling13.9 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment76% gross (2023)
Education spending4.8% of GDP (2022)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

TuitionCAD 6,000 (domestic) – 40,000 (international)
Public uniDomestic ~CAD 6–7k/yr; international 3–5×
LanguagesEnglish, French
Student workUp to 24 hrs/week off-campus during term; full-time in breaks
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Good
69
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$110,184 PPP (2024)
Unemployment6.9% (2025)
Participation64.5% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$3,565 · $4,141 PPP (2024)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

Tech salary (estimate)CAD 95,000–140,000 (senior dev)
FreelanceSolid contracting; proximity to US clients & time zones
Job marketToronto, Vancouver, Montreal tech hubs; Global Talent Stream eases hiring.
Cost of living
Affordability
Limited
38

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level91 (US = 100) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

RentCAD 1,800–2,800 (1BR Toronto/Vancouver)
MonthlyCAD 2,400
CitiesToronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Good
74
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$63,630 PPP (2024)
Consumption / person$31,488 PPP (2023)
Price level91 (US = 100) (2024)
Income inequality31.5 Gini (2022)
Inflation2.4% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Excellent
80
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate2.0 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Rule of law1.46 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Control of corruption1.63 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability0.60 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Excellent
82
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy82.1 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality5.4 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians2.82 per 1,000 (2023)
Hospital beds2.54 per 1,000 (2022)
Health spending$7,646 PPP / person (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemUniversal public (provincial Medicare)
InsurancePublic coverage for residents; private for drugs/dental
Avg costTax-funded; newcomers may face a waiting period in some provinces
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Excellent
86
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use94.4% (2024)
Internet resilience73 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed93 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed72 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access100.0% (2023)
Grid losses4.2% of output (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Transport
Transport quality4.30 / 5 (2022)
Rail density5.5 km / 1,000 km² (2021)
Air connectivity26,124 departures / million people (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

HDI
Human development score
Excellent
94
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.939 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy82.6 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling15.9 years (2023)
Mean schooling13.9 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$54,688 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Resources

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.