Inflation Record$100 in 1921 → Today (Canada)
Official data verified · CPI (Statistics Canada) · Annual average · Not seasonally adjusted · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Table 18-10-0004-01, All-items
$1,685.70
+1585.7% cumulative inflation · 1921–2026
Your $100 in 1921 would have the purchasing power of $1,685.70 in Canada today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1921 had the same average buying power as $1,685.70 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1585.7% across this 105-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -94.1%.
- This measures the broad basket of consumer goods and services (CPI (Statistics Canada)). Individual expenses moved at different rates.
What this means in other amounts
| In 1921 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $16.86 |
| $5 | $84.28 |
| $10 | $168.57 |
| $20 | $337.14 |
| $50 | $842.85 |
| $100 | $1,685.70 |
| $500 | $8,428.49 |
| $1,000 | $16,856.98 |
| $10,000 | $168,569.84 |
| $100,000 | $1,685,698.39 |
Key facts about 1921
- 1921 was one of only 10 years in the 1914–2026 record in which Canadian consumer prices fell on an annual-average basis (-12.1%).
- In the decade after 1921, prices fell 17.5% in total — a deflation decade.
- Since 1921, the overall price level has multiplied about 16.9× — $1.00 in 1921 buys what $16.86 buys in 2026.
$100 in 1921, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | $82.47 | -17.5% |
| 1941 | $84.64 | -15.4% |
| 1951 | $138.23 | +38.2% |
| 1961 | $157.26 | +57.3% |
| 1971 | $209.18 | +109.2% |
| 1981 | $496.08 | +396.1% |
| 1991 | $829.05 | +729.0% |
| 2001 | $979.47 | +879.5% |
| 2011 | $1,200.58 | +1100.6% |
| 2021 | $1,418.45 | +1318.4% |
| 2026 | $1,685.70 | +1585.7% |
Monthly CPI in 1921
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 11.0 | 3.8% |
| February | 10.8 | 0.0% |
| March | 10.5 | -6.2% |
| April | 10.2 | -9.7% |
| May | 10.0 | -13.8% |
| June | 9.7 | -17.8% |
| July | 9.7 | -17.8% |
| August | 9.7 | -17.1% |
| September | 9.7 | -15.7% |
| October | 9.7 | -15.7% |
| November | 9.4 | -16.8% |
| December | 9.4 | -16.1% |
Annual average for 1921: 9.983
Verify this calculation
Series: Table 18-10-0004-01, All-items; base 2002=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1921 annual average): 9.983 · Index (2026 annual average): 168.289 · Ratio: 16.8570
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Statistics Canada.