Canada’s current annual account surplus with the rest of the world reached $30.2 billion in 2005, surpassing its previous record of $29.3 billion in 2000, Statistics Canada said today.

The government agency said Canada’s current account surplus increased $5.5 billion in the fourth quarter, reaching a new seasonally adjusted high of $13.3 billion.

StatsCan said the record resulted from one of the highest surpluses in goods and a lower investment income deficit.

In the capital and financial account (not seasonally adjusted), growth in Canada’s international assets, which came from both portfolio and direct investments, outpaced increases in Canadian international liabilities.

Canadian liabilities to the rest of the world went up, primarily due to acquisitions of Canadian companies by foreign direct investors.

The trade surplus in goods was $21.9 billion in the fourth quarter, up $4 billion from the third quarter.