From Susan Munroe,
Your Guide to Canada Online.
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Canadian Life Expectancy Statistics

The gap in life expectancy for men and women in Canada has narrowed to 4.9 years, according to mortality statistics for 2002 from Statistics Canada. While the life expectancy for women at birth stayed the same at 82.1 years, it went up to a record high for men of 77.2 years.

The overall life expectancy for both sexes in Canada was 79.7 years.

The 2002 mortality statistics show that the life expectancy for men has improved by 5.8 years since 1979, while the life expectancy for women has improved by 3.3 years.

Canadian Death Statistics

The total number of deaths in Canada went up nearly 2 percent in 2002, rising to 223,603. All provinces and territories had an increase in deaths, with Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the three territories having more deaths than the national average.

Causes of Death in Canada

About a third of the deaths in Canada in 2002 were caused by diseases of the circulatory system. Nearly another third were caused by cancer. This proportion has been the same for several years, with deaths due to circulatory diseases decreasing and deaths due to cancer increasing.

Over half of the cancer deaths were due to four types of malignant neoplasms - lung, colorectal, female breast and male prostate.

The 2002 mortality statistics show a dramatic increase in deaths due to diabetes mellitus in Canada. Deaths due to diabetes were up nearly 11 percent over 2001, and nearly 75 percent over 1992. The total number of deaths due to diabetes mellitus in Canada in 2002 was 7,800.