$100 in 1945 is worth $904.55 in 1991

Value of $100 from 1945 to 1991

$100 in 1945 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $904.55 in 1991, an increase of $804.55 over 46 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 4.90% per year between 1945 and 1991, producing a cumulative price increase of 804.55%.

This means that prices in 1991 are 9.05 times as high as average prices since 1945, according to Statistics Canada consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1945 was 0.64%. The inflation rate in 1991 was 5.63%. The 1991 inflation rate is higher compared to the average inflation rate of 1.99% per year between 1991 and 2024.


Inflation from 1945 to 1991
Cumulative price change804.55%
Average inflation rate4.90%
Converted amount
$100 base
$904.55
Price difference
$100 base
$804.55
CPI in 19459.150
CPI in 199182.767
Inflation in 19450.64%
Inflation in 19915.63%
$100 in 1945$904.55 in 1991

CAD inflation since 1945
Annual Rate, Statistics Canada CPI
Download

Buying power of $100 in 1945

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1945 (price index tracking began in 1914).

For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $904.55 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $100 is equivalent to $904.55 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 1945 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 46 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: 1945-1991
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1945$100.000.64%
1946$103.103.10%
1947$112.399.01%
1948$128.4214.26%
1949$132.883.48%
1950$136.432.67%
1951$150.8210.55%
1952$154.742.60%
1953$153.19-1.00%
1954$154.190.65%
1955$154.460.18%
1956$156.561.36%
1957$161.753.32%
1958$165.572.36%
1959$167.581.21%
1960$169.851.36%
1961$171.581.02%
1962$173.411.06%
1963$176.231.63%
1964$179.601.91%
1965$183.792.33%
1966$190.803.82%
1967$197.633.58%
1968$205.654.06%
1969$215.034.56%
1970$222.223.35%
1971$228.232.70%
1972$239.624.99%
1973$257.567.49%
1974$285.8811.00%
1975$316.3910.67%
1976$340.267.54%
1977$367.407.98%
1978$400.368.97%
1979$436.989.14%
1980$481.2410.13%
1981$541.2612.47%
1982$599.5410.77%
1983$634.705.86%
1984$662.024.30%
1985$688.253.96%
1986$717.124.19%
1987$748.364.36%
1988$778.514.03%
1989$817.304.98%
1990$856.384.78%
1991$904.555.63%
1992$918.031.49%
1993$935.151.87%
1994$936.700.17%
1995$956.832.15%
1996$971.861.57%
1997$987.611.62%
1998$997.451.00%
1999$1,014.751.73%
2000$1,042.352.72%
2001$1,068.672.53%
2002$1,092.812.26%
2003$1,122.952.76%
2004$1,143.811.86%
2005$1,169.132.21%
2006$1,192.532.00%
2007$1,218.032.14%
2008$1,246.902.37%
2009$1,250.640.30%
2010$1,272.861.78%
2011$1,309.932.91%
2012$1,329.781.52%
2013$1,342.260.94%
2014$1,367.851.91%
2015$1,383.241.13%
2016$1,403.011.43%
2017$1,425.411.60%
2018$1,457.742.27%
2019$1,486.161.95%
2020$1,496.810.72%
2021$1,547.633.40%
2022$1,652.916.80%
2023$1,715.853.81%
2024$1,735.521.15%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 40 more rows

This conversion table shows various other 1945 amounts in 1991 dollars, based on the 804.55% change in prices:

Conversion: 1945 dollars in 1991
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1945$9.05 dollars in 1991
$5 dollars in 1945$45.23 dollars in 1991
$10 dollars in 1945$90.46 dollars in 1991
$50 dollars in 1945$452.28 dollars in 1991
$100 dollars in 1945$904.55 dollars in 1991
$500 dollars in 1945$4,522.77 dollars in 1991
$1,000 dollars in 1945$9,045.54 dollars in 1991
$5,000 dollars in 1945$45,227.69 dollars in 1991
$10,000 dollars in 1945$90,455.37 dollars in 1991
$50,000 dollars in 1945$452,276.87 dollars in 1991
$100,000 dollars in 1945$904,553.73 dollars in 1991
$500,000 dollars in 1945$4,522,768.67 dollars in 1991
$1,000,000 dollars in 1945$9,045,537.34 dollars in 1991

How to calculate inflation rate for $100, 1945 to 1991

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1945 and 1991:

CPI in 1991 CPI in 1945
×
1945 CAD value
=
1991 CAD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Canadian CPI was 9.15 in the year 1945 and 82.76666667 in 1991:

82.766666679.15
×
$100
=
$904.55

$100 in 1945 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $904.55 in 1991.

To get the total inflation rate for the 46 years between 1945 and 1991, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1991 - CPI in 1945CPI in 1945
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (46 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

82.76666667 - 9.159.15
×
100
=
805%

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: “$100 in 1945 → 1991 | Canada Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/1945-CAD-in-1991?amount=100.

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


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.

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Inflation from 1945 to 1991
Cumulative price change804.55%
Average inflation rate4.90%
Converted amount
$100 base
$904.55
Price difference
$100 base
$804.55
CPI in 19459.150
CPI in 199182.767
Inflation in 19450.64%
Inflation in 19915.63%
$100 in 1945$904.55 in 1991