As of April 26, 2019, the Bank of Canada will no longer publish the quarterly series for counterfeit bank notes. Additionally, the totals in each denomination will be altered to reflect only the sum of the note designs which are currently listed on the web page.
Passed counterfeit notes: Counterfeit notes seized by law enforcement: Data will be published annually in the second quarter.
Legend
Number of counterfeits detected in circulation, excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes
Counterfeit value excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes (thousands of dollars)
Total average count of notes in circulation (millions), excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes
Counterfeits seized by police, excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes
Number of counterfeit notes detected in circulation by denomination
Total $5
$5 (1986 design)
$5 (2002 design)
$5 (2006 design)
$5 (2013 design)
Total $10
$10 (1989 design)
$10 (2001 design)
$10 (2005 design)
$10 (2013 design)
Total $20
$20 (1991 design)
$20 (2004 design)
$20 (2012 design)
$20 (2015 design)
Total $50
$50 (1975 design)
$50 (1988 design)
$50 (2004 design)
$50 (2012 design)
Total $100
$100 (1975 design)
$100 (1988 design)
$100 (2004 design)
$100 (2011 design)
Annual Series
| Annual | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of counterfeits detected in circulation, excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes | 62,366 | 16,420 | 17,494 | 22,789 | 33,405 |
| Counterfeit value excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes (thousands of dollars) | 2,432 | 645 | 894 | 1,222 | 1,870 |
| Total average count of notes in circulation (millions), excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes | 1,738 | 1,842 | 1,942 | 2,050 | 2,138 |
| Counterfeits seized by police, excluding $1, $2, and $1000 notes | 13,958 | 43 | |||
| Number of counterfeit notes detected in circulation by denomination | |||||
| Total $5 | 652 | 1,648 | 788 | 1,663 | 3,345 |
| $5 (1986 design) | 131 | 194 | 38 | 31 | 48 |
| $5 (2002 design) | 255 | 1,218 | 123 | 83 | 48 |
| $5 (2006 design) | 234 | 185 | 191 | 52 | 60 |
| $5 (2013 design) | 32 | 51 | 436 | 1,497 | 3,189 |
| Total $10 | 1,419 | 958 | 1,387 | 1,112 | 1,466 |
| $10 (1989 design) | 353 | 188 | 305 | 135 | 93 |
| $10 (2001 design) | 743 | 568 | 505 | 492 | 467 |
| $10 (2005 design) | 321 | 156 | 351 | 72 | 69 |
| $10 (2013 design) | 2 | 46 | 226 | 413 | 837 |
| Total $20 | 43,886 | 8,553 | 6,251 | 5,959 | 8,601 |
| $20 (1991 design) | 1,997 | 952 | 884 | 1,124 | 1,121 |
| $20 (2004 design) | 41,639 | 6,838 | 4,074 | 2,135 | 2,607 |
| $20 (2012 design) | 250 | 763 | 1,291 | 2,682 | 4,864 |
| $20 (2015 design) | 2 | 18 | 9 | ||
| Total $50 | 1,202 | 1,091 | 2,819 | 5,790 | 5,776 |
| $50 (1975 design) | 16 | 16 | 19 | 146 | 122 |
| $50 (1988 design) | 346 | 139 | 126 | 106 | 362 |
| $50 (2004 design) | 726 | 245 | 249 | 100 | 124 |
| $50 (2012 design) | 114 | 691 | 2,425 | 5,438 | 5,168 |
| Total $100 | 14,657 | 3,983 | 6,057 | 7,856 | 13,682 |
| $100 (1975 design) | 58 | 446 | 1,432 | 798 | 1,248 |
| $100 (1988 design) | 10,164 | 1,809 | 1,460 | 356 | 284 |
| $100 (2004 design) | 4,225 | 1,338 | 1,071 | 598 | 542 |
| $100 (2011 design) | 210 | 390 | 2,094 | 6,104 | 11,608 |
Notes
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Bank of Canada
Statistics pertaining to counterfeit Canadian bank notes (formerly B4) contains data on the average number of bank notes in circulation as well as data supplied by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on counterfeit notes. Totals for each denomination reflect only the series displayed (which represent the majority of counterfeits detected in circulation). For this reason, there may be slight discrepancies with the total number of counterfeits detected in circulation, displayed in the top row of the table, which includes all series.
Counterfeits are categorized as “passed”, detected in circulation, or “seized”, those confiscated by law enforcement before being circulated. Suspected counterfeits found in circulation by retailers, financial institutions, and the general public, as well as those discovered during note processing at the Bank of Canada, are forwarded to the RCMP National Anti-Counterfeiting Bureau for forensic evaluation.