Major causes of death

Diseases of the circulatory system accounted for 74,824 deaths in 2001, about 34% of 219,538 total deaths in Canada. Of those deaths from circulatory system diseases, 55% were due to ischaemic heart diseases, which include conditions in which the heart muscle is damaged or works inefficiently because of an insufficient blood supply. Another 21% of the deaths due to diseases of the circulatory system were from cerebrovascular diseases, the vast majority caused by what is commonly known as a stroke.

Cancers were responsible for 29% of deaths. Although better treatments and screening tools have reduced the mortality rate, 63,774 Canadians died from some form of cancer in 2001. Lung, colorectal, breast and prostate cancer accounted for about half of all cancer deaths.

Some promising trends have emerged. From the 1950s to 2000, the chances of a child dying from cancer declined by more than 50%. After adjusting for an aging population, the death rates for many types of adult cancers have improved as well.

For men, the rate for lung cancer declined from 81 deaths per 100,000 people in 1988 to 64 in 2000; however, the rate climbed for women from 27 to 34 per 100,000, a reflection of the trend in smoking.

The incidence of prostate cancer has been increasing since the early 1970s. However, a steep rise in its incidence between 1990 and 1993 in particular can be attributed to early detection and better screening techniques. The death rate for prostate cancer has remained relatively stable over the last 30 years.

Though prostate cancer is more frequently diagnosed, lung cancer remains more lethal for Canadian men. In 2001, 9,925 men died from lung cancer, whereas 3,825 died from prostate cancer. In fact, 9% of all male deaths and 29% of male cancer deaths were caused by lung cancer. By contrast, prostate cancer was responsible for 3% of all male deaths and 11% of male cancer deaths.

For women, the incidence of cancer has risen slightly since the mid‑1980s, while the death rate has remained essentially unchanged. However, since 1971, the incidence and death rates for lung cancer among women have climbed almost fivefold. The incidence of breast cancer has also risen.

Beginning in 1993, more women have died each year from lung cancer than from breast cancer. Breast cancer death rates have been declining since 1986, and more rapidly since 1990. This reflects improved screening programs and more effective treatments. As of 2000, the death rate for lung cancer had climbed to 34 deaths per 100,000 women, whereas for breast cancer it had dropped to 25.

In 1999, lung cancer alone was responsible for over 120,000 potential years of life lost among Canadians from birth to age 74. Colorectal cancer was responsible for nearly 39,000 potential years of life lost.

Among various selected causes of death (including colorectal and lung cancers, cerebrovascular diseases, strokes and suicides), unintentional injuries, such as motor vehicle accidents, falls, poisonings and drownings, were responsible for the most potential years of life lost before the age of 75, at 203,799 years; next was suicide at 130,715 years.

In 2001, a total of 3,032 Canadians died as a result of accidents involving cars, motorcycles and other vehicles. These fatal accidents  often involve young people. Individuals aged 15 to 24 represented only 1% of all deaths in 2001, yet they accounted for 24% of deaths as a result of transport accidents.

In 2001, there were 3,692 deaths reported as suicides, up 2.4% from 2000. The suicide rate was 11.9 deaths per 100,000 people, a drop from the average of 12.8 per 100,000 from 1992 to 2001.

Suicide rates differ between men and women, young and old. Men are more likely to commit suicide than women. In 2001, there were 3.5 suicides among men for every suicide among women. For men, the risk of suicide was greatest between the ages of 40 and 44. For women, the risk peaked at ages 45 to 49. People in their forties accounted for almost one in four suicides.

Young people who report high levels of depression, anxiety or low self-esteem are more likely to report suicidal thoughts. In 2001, there were 234 teenage deaths reported as suicide, a 14% drop from 2000. Since the 1980s, the suicide rate—12.2 per 100,000 people in 1999—has remained fairly constant for teens aged 15 to 19. For both sexes, suicide was the second-leading cause of teen death, surpassed only by motor vehicle accidents.