A new report shows pneumonia and influenza were among the leading causes of death in Canada in 2024.
Statistics Canada reports that while respiratory illnesses rank sixth on the list of top 10 causes, the number of deaths attributed to these illnesses increased by 20 per cent from 2023 to 2024, with those aged 85 and older accounting for just over 52 per cent of deaths.
Cancer remains the leading cause of death, accounting for over one-quarter of all deaths. It remains the leading cause of death among both men and women and in all provinces and territories. Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Canada since the early 1990s, when it overtook diseases of the heart. Accidents, stroke and chronic lower respiratory disease round out the top five.
After influenza and pneumonia, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, COVID-19 and liver disease round out the top 10.
The report also shows that almost 28,000 deaths were attributed to dementia in 2024, which is an increase of 4.8 per cent over the previous year. Since 2000, the number of dementia deaths has grown steadily each year, excluding 2020, when the pandemic began. While dementia is not ranked as a cause of death, if it were included, it would place third behind cancer and diseases of the heart.
Just over 70 per cent of deaths due to dementia involve Canadians 85 years or older, and women accounted for almost two-thirds of those deaths in 2024.
The report also indicates that life expectancy increased slightly in 2024 to 81.68 years, putting it on par with pre-pandemic levels of 2019. The increase was more pronounced among men (80.03 years), although women are still living longer (84.29 years). Life expectancy increased the most in the western provinces, with Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. among the places where people are living longer.
