Life expectancy in Canada nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, StatCan reports

Statistics Canada reports life expectancy at birth rose from 81.68 years in 2023 to 82.16 years in 2024, approaching the 2019 level of 82.22 years. Cancer remained the leading cause of death, accounting for 26.2% of deaths.

Life expectancy at birth in Canada increased for the second consecutive year in 2024, rising from 81.68 years in 2023 to 82.16 years in 2024. This level is nearly on par with the 2019 pre-pandemic figure of 82.22 years. Women continued to have a higher average life expectancy than men, while men experienced a larger year-over-year gain. Several western provinces recorded the largest increases during this period. Key details: - Overall life expectancy at birth was 82.16 years in 2024, a gain of 0.48 years from 2023 (81.68 years). - Women averaged 84.29 years in 2024; men averaged 80.30 years, an increase of 0.55 years from 2023. - Provincial gains from 2023 to 2024 included Saskatchewan (+0.68 years), Alberta (+0.82 years) and British Columbia (+0.62 years). - In British Columbia, female life expectancy in 2024 was 85.07 years, above the 2019 level of 84.96 years. - Cancer remained the leading cause of death at 26.2% of deaths, followed by heart disease at 17.7%; influenza and pneumonia deaths rose by 20% and moved from eighth to sixth place year over year. - Dementia deaths increased by 4.8%, totaling 27,825 deaths in 2024. Summary: Canada's life expectancy moved closer to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, with gains concentrated in several western provinces and a larger year-over-year increase for men. Persistent patterns in causes of death — including cancer as the leading cause and rises in influenza, pneumonia and dementia deaths — remain part of the mortality profile. Undetermined at this time.