Legend
Number of passed counterfeits detected in circulation (excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes)
Value of passed counterfeits (thousands of dollars) (excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes)
Total average count of genuine notes in circulation (millions) (excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes)
Counterfeits seized by police prior to circulation (excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes)
Number of counterfeit notes detected in circulation by denomination
Total $5
$5 (Birds of Canada series)
$5 (Original Canadian Journey series)
$5 (Upgraded Canadian Journey series)
$5 (Frontiers series)
Total $10
$10 (Birds of Canada series)
$10 (Original Canadian Journey series)
$10 (Upgraded Canadian Journey series)
$10 (Frontiers series)
$10 (Canada 150 commemorative)
$10 (Vertical series)
Total $20
$20 (Birds of Canada series)
$20 (Canadian Journey series)
$20 (Frontiers series)
$20 (Frontiers series – commemorative)
Total $50
$50 (Scenes of Canada series)
$50 (Birds of Canada series)
$50 (Canadian Journey series)
$50 (Frontiers series)
Total $100
$100 (Scenes of Canada series)
$100 (Birds of Canada series)
$100 (Canadian Journey series)
$100 (Frontiers series)
Annual series
Our Valet API is designed to help you integrate your applications and processes with our data. For details, please see our documentation.
| Annual | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of passed counterfeits detected in circulation (excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes) | 33,705 | 18,942 | 17,220 | 15,300 | 17,024 |
| Value of passed counterfeits (thousands of dollars) (excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes) | 1,600 | 937 | 871 | 906 | 1,094 |
| Total average count of genuine notes in circulation (millions) (excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes) | 2,185 | 2,388 | 2,538 | 2,629 | 2,632 |
| Counterfeits seized by police prior to circulation (excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes) | 10,195 | 6,333 | 29,918 | 53,572 | 39,232 |
| Number of counterfeit notes detected in circulation by denomination | |||||
| Total $5 | 3,347 | 2,244 | 2,126 | 1,519 | 1,136 |
| $5 (Birds of Canada series) | 89 | 43 | 56 | 27 | 36 |
| $5 (Original Canadian Journey series) | 126 | 89 | 134 | 46 | 20 |
| $5 (Upgraded Canadian Journey series) | 35 | 14 | 25 | 4 | 12 |
| $5 (Frontiers series) | 3,097 | 2,098 | 1,911 | 1,442 | 1,068 |
| Total $10 | 1,477 R | 973 R | 1,040 | 451 | 351 |
| $10 (Birds of Canada series) | 147 | 103 | 140 | 43 | 30 |
| $10 (Original Canadian Journey series) | 336 | 202 | 329 | 131 | 155 |
| $10 (Upgraded Canadian Journey series) | 104 | 24 | 45 | 34 | 23 |
| $10 (Frontiers series) | 756 | 537 | 413 | 204 | 84 |
| $10 (Canada 150 commemorative) | 57 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 3 |
| $10 (Vertical series) | 77 | 89 | 98 | 35 | 56 |
| Total $20 | 12,525 | 4,558 | 3,914 | 2,725 | 2,876 |
| $20 (Birds of Canada series) | 548 | 309 | 297 | 210 | 156 |
| $20 (Canadian Journey series) | 1,010 | 579 | 595 | 365 | 256 |
| $20 (Frontiers series) | 10,900 | 3,598 | 3,003 | 2,137 | 2,460 |
| $20 (Frontiers series – commemorative) | 67 | 72 | 19 | 13 | 4 |
| Total $50 | 5,898 | 5,433 | 4,446 | 4,233 | 4,663 |
| $50 (Scenes of Canada series) | 47 | 60 | 17 | 40 | 20 |
| $50 (Birds of Canada series) | 508 | 358 | 152 | 81 | 105 |
| $50 (Canadian Journey series) | 115 | 299 | 260 | 106 | 129 |
| $50 (Frontiers series) | 5,228 | 4,716 | 4,017 | 4,006 | 4,409 |
| Total $100 | 10,156 R | 5,477 | 5,446 | 6,240 | 7,928 |
| $100 (Scenes of Canada series) | 955 | 407 | 110 | 67 | 124 |
| $100 (Birds of Canada series) | 270 | 137 | 117 | 81 | 103 |
| $100 (Canadian Journey series) | 629 | 266 | 357 | 512 | 648 |
| $100 (Frontiers series) | 8,302 R | 4,667 | 4,862 | 5,580 | 7,053 |
Note: Revised data are marked with an R.
Notes
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Bank of Canada
Statistics on the counterfeiting of Canadian bank notes (formerly B4) contains data on the number of genuine bank notes in circulation as well as data supplied by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on counterfeit notes.
Counterfeits are categorized as:
- passed notes: those detected in circulation by retailers, financial institutions, and the general public, as well as those discovered during note processing at the Bank of Canada, or
- seized notes: those confiscated by law enforcement before they could pass into circulation.
Suspected counterfeits are forwarded to the RCMP National Anti-Counterfeiting Bureau for forensic evaluation.
Totals for each denomination reflect only the series displayed (which represent the majority of counterfeits detected in circulation). The total displayed in the top row of the table includes all series past and present. For this reason, there may be slight differences when these numbers are compared against each other.