Canadians are increasingly paying their bills on time, according to data released by Equifax Canada.

The average national delinquency rate declined by 21% over the period between June 2005 and December 2007. Improvements came largely from increased payments on credit cards, term loans, and personal lines of credit.

As part of its analysis, Equifax evaluated the average national delinquency rate of Canadians every six months between June 2005 and December 2007. Findings showed that the rate decreased from 1.6% in June 2005 to 1.2% in December 2007.

“Our data reflects that a strong economy and low unemployment have enabled more consumers to make their payments on time, despite rising personal debt,” said Nadim Abdo, vp of Equifax Predictive Sciences, in a release.

Lower delinquency rates come at a time when the average non-mortgage debt load of Canadians is at an all-time high.

At the municipal level, Equifax data put Toronto’s delinquency rate at 1.73%, while Quebec City’s was 0.67%, the lowest among major Canadian cities.