$1 in 1940 is worth $16.73 in 2018

Value of $1 from 1940 to 2018

$1 in 1940 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $16.73 in 2018, an increase of $15.73 over 78 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 3.68% per year between 1940 and 2018, producing a cumulative price increase of 1,572.52%.

This means that prices in 2018 are 16.73 times as high as average prices since 1940, according to Statistics Canada consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1940 was 4.25%. The inflation rate in 2018 was 2.27%. The 2018 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 2.95% per year between 2018 and 2024.


Inflation from 1940 to 2018
Cumulative price change1,572.52%
Average inflation rate3.68%
Converted amount
$1 base
$16.73
Price difference
$1 base
$15.73
CPI in 19407.975
CPI in 2018133.383
Inflation in 19404.25%
Inflation in 20182.27%
$1 in 1940$16.73 in 2018

CAD inflation since 1940
Annual Rate, Statistics Canada CPI
Download

Buying power of $1 in 1940

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1 in 1940 (price index tracking began in 1914).

For example, if you started with $1, you would need to end with $16.73 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $1 is equivalent to $16.73 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single Canadian dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.

This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1940 dollars, the chart below shows how $1 is worth less over 78 years.

According to Statistics Canada, each of these CAD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Dollar inflation: 1940-2018
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1940$1.004.25%
1941$1.065.96%
1942$1.114.64%
1943$1.132.17%
1944$1.140.65%
1945$1.150.64%
1946$1.183.10%
1947$1.299.01%
1948$1.4714.26%
1949$1.523.48%
1950$1.572.67%
1951$1.7310.55%
1952$1.782.60%
1953$1.76-1.00%
1954$1.770.65%
1955$1.770.18%
1956$1.801.36%
1957$1.863.32%
1958$1.902.36%
1959$1.921.21%
1960$1.951.36%
1961$1.971.02%
1962$1.991.06%
1963$2.021.63%
1964$2.061.91%
1965$2.112.33%
1966$2.193.82%
1967$2.273.58%
1968$2.364.06%
1969$2.474.56%
1970$2.553.35%
1971$2.622.70%
1972$2.754.99%
1973$2.967.49%
1974$3.2811.00%
1975$3.6310.67%
1976$3.907.54%
1977$4.227.98%
1978$4.598.97%
1979$5.019.14%
1980$5.5210.13%
1981$6.2112.47%
1982$6.8810.77%
1983$7.285.86%
1984$7.604.30%
1985$7.903.96%
1986$8.234.19%
1987$8.594.36%
1988$8.934.03%
1989$9.384.98%
1990$9.834.78%
1991$10.385.63%
1992$10.531.49%
1993$10.731.87%
1994$10.750.17%
1995$10.982.15%
1996$11.151.57%
1997$11.331.62%
1998$11.441.00%
1999$11.641.73%
2000$11.962.72%
2001$12.262.53%
2002$12.542.26%
2003$12.882.76%
2004$13.121.86%
2005$13.412.21%
2006$13.682.00%
2007$13.972.14%
2008$14.312.37%
2009$14.350.30%
2010$14.601.78%
2011$15.032.91%
2012$15.261.52%
2013$15.400.94%
2014$15.691.91%
2015$15.871.13%
2016$16.101.43%
2017$16.351.60%
2018$16.732.27%
2019$17.051.95%
2020$17.170.72%
2021$17.763.40%
2022$18.966.80%
2023$19.693.81%
2024$19.911.15%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 72 more rows

This conversion table shows various other 1940 amounts in 2018 dollars, based on the 1,572.52% change in prices:

Conversion: 1940 dollars in 2018
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1940$16.73 dollars in 2018
$5 dollars in 1940$83.63 dollars in 2018
$10 dollars in 1940$167.25 dollars in 2018
$50 dollars in 1940$836.26 dollars in 2018
$100 dollars in 1940$1,672.52 dollars in 2018
$500 dollars in 1940$8,362.59 dollars in 2018
$1,000 dollars in 1940$16,725.18 dollars in 2018
$5,000 dollars in 1940$83,625.91 dollars in 2018
$10,000 dollars in 1940$167,251.83 dollars in 2018
$50,000 dollars in 1940$836,259.14 dollars in 2018
$100,000 dollars in 1940$1,672,518.29 dollars in 2018
$500,000 dollars in 1940$8,362,591.43 dollars in 2018
$1,000,000 dollars in 1940$16,725,182.86 dollars in 2018

How to calculate inflation rate for $1, 1940 to 2018

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1940 and 2018:

CPI in 2018 CPI in 1940
×
1940 CAD value
=
2018 CAD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Canadian CPI was 7.975 in the year 1940 and 133.3833333 in 2018:

133.38333337.975
×
$1
=
$16.73

$1 in 1940 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $16.73 in 2018.

To get the total inflation rate for the 78 years between 1940 and 2018, we use the following formula:

CPI in 2018 - CPI in 1940CPI in 1940
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (78 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

133.3833333 - 7.9757.975
×
100
=
1,573%

Data source & citation

Raw data for these calculations comes from the government of Canada's annual Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1914 and computed by Statistics Canada (StatCan).

You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “$1 in 1940 → 2018 | Canada Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/1940-CAD-in-2018?amount=1.

Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.

in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.


Ian Webster

About the author

Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

Email · LinkedIn · Twitter


» Read more about inflation and investment.

Inflation from 1940 to 2018
Cumulative price change1,572.52%
Average inflation rate3.68%
Converted amount
$1 base
$16.73
Price difference
$1 base
$15.73
CPI in 19407.975
CPI in 2018133.383
Inflation in 19404.25%
Inflation in 20182.27%
$1 in 1940$16.73 in 2018