Deaths

Life expectancy at birth, a key indicator of a population's health, increased slightly to new record highs for both sexes in 2001. A woman born in 2001 could expect to live 82.2 years, up 0.2 years from 2000. A man's life expectancy at birth reached 77.1 years in 2001, up 0.3 years.

Life expectancy for both sexes combined reached 79.7 years in 2001, up 0.3 years from 2000. The levels for men and women were highest in British Columbia.

The gap in life expectancy between the sexes closed from 5.2 years in 2000 to 5.1 years in 2001, continuing a trend toward narrowing that has extended over two decades. From 1979 to 2001, life expectancy for men improved by 5.7 years, whereas life expectancy for women advanced 3.4 years.

The infant death rate decreased slightly in 2001, for the first time in three years, to 5.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

The maternal mortality rate increased to 7.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. While this rate represented only 26 deaths, the increase is of concern because it was the highest rate since 1981. A maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within one year of the termination of pregnancy.

Influenza deaths decreased a striking 83.8% in 2001 from 2000. While over 500 people died as a result of influenza in 2000, fewer than 100 did so in 2001.

According to a Health Canada report, Influenza in Canada: 2001-2002 season, influenza infections, which were detected through the national respiratory virus detection system, peaked after the end of 2001, in mid-February 2002. This peak was relatively late compared with previous seasons. In addition, 2001-2002 was also considered to be a relatively mild influenza season.

Although the reason for the reduction in influenza mortality cannot be determined, it coincides with increasing efforts by Canadians to avoid influenza infection. According to results from the National Population Health Survey, 1996-1997 and the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2000-2001, the proportion of the Canadian population aged 20 and over who reported having received an influenza vaccination in the year prior to the survey nearly doubled, from approximately 15% in 1996-1997 to almost 30% in 2000-2001.

Even though life expectancy increased, so did the overall number of deaths in Canada, up 0.7% in 2001, resuming a long-term upward trend. A total of 219,538 people died in 2001, up from 218,062 in 2000. This apparent inconsistency is explained by Canada's aging population. Life expectancy reflects mortality rates within age groups; these mortality rates are, in general, declining. The total number of deaths reflects the offsetting effects of declining age-specific mortality rates versus increasing numbers of elderly people, who experience higher mortality rates.

The gain followed a similar decline of 0.7% in 2000, which was the first annual decrease since 1981.

Only Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories recorded increases in the number of deaths in 2001. These gains were large enough to offset the declines in the number of deaths in the remaining provinces and territories.

The crude death rate - the number of deaths for every 100,000 people - held steady at 7.1. This occurred because the size of the Canadian population grew faster than did the number of deaths.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3233.

The publication Deaths, 2001 (84F0211XIE, free) is now available. From the Our products and services page, under Browse our Internet publications, choose Free, then Health.

For general information or to order custom tabulations, contact Client Services (613-951-1746; hd-ds@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Patricia Tully (613-951-1759; patricia.tully@statcan.gc.ca) or Leslie Geran (613-951-5243; leslie.geran@statcan.gc.ca), Health Statistics Division.