Average Credit Score by Age in Canada: What's Normal?

The average credit score in Canada is 679, according to Borrowell’s 2026 data from more than 4 million users. By age, it’s lowest for Canadians aged 18 to 28, at 659, and highest for those 80 and over, at 769.

You’ll also see 760 quoted as the national average. That figure comes from FICO, which averages a different score across a different group of people. So if you’re 25 with a score of 670, you’re above the Borrowell average for your age group but 90 points below FICO’s national figure. For getting approved, the number to watch is 660, where Equifax’s good range begins.

What is the average credit score by age in Canada?

In Borrowell’s 2026 study (opens in a new tab) of its users, Canadians aged 18 to 28 have an average credit score of 659, and the average rises with each generation to 769 for people 80 and over. The national average across all ages is 679, which falls in the good range on Equifax’s scale.

Average Equifax score of more than 4 million Borrowell users in 2026, on the 300 to 900 scale. Source: Borrowell (opens in a new tab).

Why scores rise with age

Your age isn’t one of the factors the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (opens in a new tab) (FCAC) lists, but how long you’ve had credit is. About 15% of an Equifax score comes from how long your payments have been reported, and about 35% from your payment history, according to Equifax (opens in a new tab). Every year of on-time payments adds to both. A 30-year-old who got a first card at 18 has 12 years of history, and one who got a card last year has one.

The averages barely move between 29 and 60, though. Millennials average 673 and Gen X 676, only three points apart. The big rise comes after 60.

Why do some sources say 679 and others 760?

They’re averages of two different scores, taken from two different groups of people. Borrowell’s 679 is the average Equifax score of its users in 2026. FICO’s 760 is the average FICO Score 10 for Canadian consumers in 2024, calculated from the credit files at Equifax and TransUnion. The same person gets a different number from each model.

Sources: Borrowell (opens in a new tab), an archived copy of its 2022 edition (opens in a new tab), FICO (opens in a new tab), Equifax Canada (opens in a new tab).

Borrowell’s users see their Equifax Risk Score 2.0, so its averages are Equifax scores. FICO uses its own formula, and the FCAC notes that bureaus and lenders don’t share exactly how they calculate scores. FICO’s average also covers Canadian consumers as a whole, while Borrowell’s covers the people who use its app.

To compare your own score with people your age, use Borrowell’s figures. They’re the most recent, and they’re broken down by age, which FICO’s aren’t. If your score comes from TransUnion, through Credit Karma for example, expect some gap between it and an Equifax average.

Both averages have moved a little in recent years. Borrowell’s rose from 667 in 2021 to 679 in 2026. FICO’s went from 753 in April 2020 to 762 in 2022, then dipped to 760 in 2024, which FICO linked to more missed payments and higher debt.

Where the 692-to-750 table comes from

A table that runs from 692 for the youngest adults to 750 for people over 65 is still widely quoted as Equifax data, but we could only find a source for its first number. In a November 2018 release, Equifax Canada said adults aged 18 to 24 had an average Equifax score of 692, up from 681 ten years earlier, while every other age group had slipped a little. The release gives no score for the older groups, and the 692 is eight years old now, so Borrowell’s 2026 numbers are the better benchmark.

What’s the average credit score at 19, 21 or 25?

There’s no published average credit score for a single age in Canada. The closest benchmark is Borrowell’s 659 for ages 18 to 28. At this stage, how long you’ve had credit matters more than how old you are, so two 22-year-olds can have very different scores.

For most people, credit starts at the age of majority, when you can apply for a credit card in your own name. That’s 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan, and 19 in the other provinces and the territories. A 19-year-old in Ontario may already have a year of history, while one in British Columbia is just getting started.

Your first score takes a few months to appear. Equifax says most people become scoreable after about three months of credit use (opens in a new tab) that’s reported to it. In practice that can mean four or five months, because each month’s activity is reported the following month. Until then, your score may show as 0. That isn’t a sign of bad credit, only that there isn’t enough history yet.

A short history holds a new score back a little. Payment history counts for more than length, though, so a year or two of paying every bill on time does a lot for a young score.

What is a good credit score in Canada?

On Equifax’s scale, a score of 660 to 724 is good, 725 to 759 is very good and 760 or higher is excellent. Equifax says lenders generally see 660 and up as acceptable or lower-risk. The national average of 679 is in the good range, and the average of 659 for ages 18 to 28 falls one point short of it.

Sources: Equifax Canada (opens in a new tab) for the good, very good, excellent and poor ranges, Borrowell (opens in a new tab) for the fair range.

A score under 660 doesn’t shut you out. Equifax says it may make you less likely to qualify for better loan terms, and that people in the poor range, generally below 560, are more likely to have trouble getting credit. The score a lender uses can also differ from the one you see in an app, because a lender may give more weight to some parts of your history, as the FCAC points out.

Which Canadian cities have the highest credit scores?

Quebec City has the highest average credit score of Canada’s 20 largest cities, at 723, according to Borrowell’s 2026 data. Montreal is second at 716 and Markham third at 714. Edmonton has the lowest, at 646. All four Quebec cities on the list, including Laval and Gatineau, are above the national average of 679.

Average Equifax score of Borrowell users in Canada’s 20 most populous cities in 2026. Borrowell publishes averages by city, not by province. Source: Borrowell (opens in a new tab).

How can you raise your credit score faster?

Pay every bill on time, keep your card balances low compared with your limits, and keep your oldest accounts open. Those habits work on the parts of your score you control, and none of them depends on your age.

• Never miss a payment. Set up automatic payments for at least the minimum, so a busy month doesn’t end up as a late payment on your report.
• Use a small share of your limit. In the FCAC’s example, someone who regularly owes $4,500 on a card with a $5,000 limit may look riskier to lenders than someone who owes $1,000.
• Keep your oldest card open. How long you’ve had credit is part of your score, and an open account in good standing keeps adding to it.
• Apply for new credit only when you need it. How often you apply is one of the factors the FCAC lists.
• Check both reports for errors. Your Equifax and TransUnion reports are free online, and a payment wrongly marked as late is worth disputing.

If you have little or no history, a secured card or a credit-building app can get you started. Our list of the best credit-building apps in Canada compares the options, and our guide to free credit score apps shows which bureau each one uses.

Savings make on-time payments easier

Payment history is the biggest part of your credit score. Money set aside for surprises means a car repair or a dental bill doesn’t have to come out of the money meant for your card payment. If you’re wondering how your savings compare, our guide to average savings by age has the numbers.

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