What are the leading causes of death in Canada?
In 2023, cancer, heart disease, and accidents were the top causes of death, accounting for over 163,000 or about 50% of the nearly 325,000 deaths that year. Cerebrovascular diseases, such as strokes and brain hemorrhages, ranked fourth, followed by chronic lower respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD. The top five accounted for 58% of all deaths that year.
According to Statistics Canada, since 2000, cancer and heart disease have consistently been the leading causes of death in Canada and their share of the causes of death have been increasing. For every 100,000 people living in Canada, 211.1 people died from cancer and 144.4 people died from heart disease in 2023, up from 203.7 and 179 per 100,000 people in 2000. COVID-19 was among the leading causes of death from 2000 to 2022 ranking as high as third in 2022 (50.6 deaths per 100,000 people), and has since dropped out of the top five. In 2023, it slipped into sixth place with 8,000 deaths attributed to the disease.
How the top causes of death vary by age
In 2023, accidents were the leading cause of death for people aged 0-44. In older Canadians, cancer is the leading cause of death. It was the top cause of death for those between 45 and 84. The leading cause of death for those over 85 was heart disease.
Sources:
Statistics Canada. Table 13-10-0394-01 Leading causes of death, total population, by age group
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