Statistics Canada has released preliminary information on 2023 deaths in Canada – data from the Canadian Vital Statistics–Death database – which shows total deaths in 2023 declining when compared to 2022 figures.
The 2.4 per cent decrease in 2023 was reflected in most provinces and territories. They say life expectancy also increased for the first time in three years but remains below pre-pandemic levels. Life expectancy at birth in Canada increased from 81.3 years in 2022 to 81.7 years in 2023, a gain of 0.4 years. This remains 0.5 years below the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level of 82.2 years in 2019.
The report, Death, 2023, adds that COVID-19 deaths decreased by 60 per cent in 2023, from 19,716 deaths in 2022 to 7,955 deaths in 2023.
Aging population
Cancer remained as the leading cause of death among Canadians in 2023. “Overall, cancer incidence and mortality rates have been declining since 2011 for males and since 2012 for females, but the total number of new cancer cases and deaths continues to increase each year due to the growing and aging population. Thus, cancer remained as the leading cause of death among Canadians in 2023. There were 84,629 cancer-related deaths, representing just over one in four deaths (25.9 per cent),” they write.
The paper concludes, noting that Statistics Canada has recorded the highest number of accidental drug poisoning deaths ever, surpassing previous highs reported during the pandemic. In 2023 there were 7,162 accidental drug poisoning deaths. Among the provinces, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan had the highest age-standardized mortality rates for accidental drug poisoning. Nationally, three in four of these deaths, 73 per cent, were among males; 9 in 10 were between 25 and 64 years of age.
