--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/a-tepid-recovery-the-index-of-economic-well-being-for-canada-and-the-provinces-1981-2014/" title: "A Tepid Recovery: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Canada and the Provinces, 1981-2014" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T12:51:11+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T12:51:11+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada" - "consumption" - "economic security" - "equality" - "IEWB" - "Index of Economic Well-Being" - "post-recession recovery" - "provinces" - "wealth" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "Multi-province" research_theme: - "Economic Well-Being" - "Regional Economic Development" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # A Tepid Recovery: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Canada and the Provinces, 1981-2014 Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/a-tepid-recovery-the-index-of-economic-well-being-for-canada-and-the-provinces-1981-2014/ # A Tepid Recovery: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Canada and the Provinces, 1981-2014 [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2016-05-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Thomas, Jasmin, and James Uguccioni. 2016. “A Tepid Recovery: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Canada and the Provinces, 1981-2014.” CSLS Research Report 2016-05. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/a-tepid-recovery-the-index-of-economic-well-being-for-canada-and-the-provinces-1981-2014/ ## Authors: - Jasmin Thomas Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - James Uguccioni Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2016-05 June 2016 84 pages ## Related research [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? 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We find that the IEWB grew at an average annual rate of 0.74 per cent per year over the period, notably below the 1.30 per cent growth of GDP per capita over the same time frame. Both the consumption and wealth domains steady advanced over the period, but their growth was offset by declines in the equality and economic security domains. Since 2008, reflecting the 2009 recession and the weak recovery, Canada’s IEWB has exhibited meager growth, advancing only 0.09 per cent per year. This reflects declines in all domains of the IEWB except consumption. Six of the ten provinces had lower levels for their respective IEWBs in 2014 than in 2008 (Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia). Ce rapport présente de nouvelles estimations de l’Indice de bien-être économique (IBEE) et de ses quatre domaines (flux de consommation, stocks de richesse, égalité économique et sécurité économique) pour le Canada et les provinces pour la période 1981-2014. Nous constatons que l’IBEE a augmenté à un taux annuel moyen de 0,74 % par année sur la période, soit nettement en deçà de la croissance de 1,30 % du PIB par habitant sur la même période. Les domaines de la consommation et de la richesse ont progressé de façon constante durant la période, mais leur croissance a été contrebalancée par des reculs dans les domaines de l’égalité et de la sécurité économique. Depuis 2008, en raison de la récession de 2009 et de la faible reprise qui a suivi, l’IBEE du Canada a affiché une croissance modeste, n’augmentant que de 0,09 % par année. Cela reflète des reculs dans tous les domaines de l’IBEE, à l’exception de la consommation. Six des dix provinces affichaient un IBEE plus faible en 2014 qu’en 2008 (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard, l’Ontario, la Saskatchewan, l’Alberta et la Colombie-Britannique). [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2016-05-1.pdf)