Canadian Male and Female Life Expectancy Rates by Province and Territory
Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2017/05/12 - Updated: 2024/10/07
Publication Type: Charts, Graphs, Tables
Category Topic: Medical Calculators and Charts - Academic Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: This article on Canadian life expectancy rates by province and territory is valuable for several reasons. It provides comprehensive data on life expectancy across Canada, highlighting regional disparities and gender differences. This information is crucial for understanding population health trends, informing public health policies, and identifying areas that may require targeted interventions. The article also introduces the concept of health-adjusted life expectancy, which considers both the quantity and quality of life, offering a more nuanced view of overall population health. By presenting this data in an accessible format, including a detailed chart, the article serves as a useful resource for researchers, policymakers, and anyone interested in Canadian health demographics - Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
The average life expectancy of Canadians continues to rise, and has now reached 81.1 years.
Canadian males generally have a lower life expectancy than women, however the gap has narrowed over the past decade.
British Columbia (BC) ranks top among Canadian provinces and territories for life span in both men and women, while people in Canada's three northern territories have the lowest life expectancy rate.
Main Content
Life expectancy is the number of years a person would be expected to live, starting at birth, if the age and sex-specific mortality rates for a given observation period (such as a calendar year) were held constant over the estimated life span. Factors that can influence life expectancy include quality of workplace safety, suicide rates, infant mortality, and access to health care all play roles in the ages of death from province to province.
Socio-economic inequality also has a profound impact on health and access to services, for example, while the overall life expectancy of Montrealers has gone up, males from wealthier parts of Montreal, such as Lac-Saint-Louis, live an average of six years longer than those from lower income suburbs such as Pointe-Saint-Charles.
What is Health-adjusted Life Expectancy?
Health-adjusted life expectancy is a more comprehensive indicator than that of life expectancy because it introduces the concept of quality of life. Health-adjusted life expectancy is the number of years in full health that an individual can expect to live given the current morbidity and mortality conditions. Health-adjusted life expectancy uses the Health Utility Index (HUI) to weigh years lived in good health higher than years lived in poor health. Thus, health-adjusted life expectancy is not only a measure of quantity of life but also a measure of quality of life.
Also see our Average Life Span Expectancy Chart - a list of male and female lifespan expectant averages by country and average age to death.
| Both | M | F | Both | M | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At birth | Age 65 | |||||
| Canada | 81.1 | 78.8 | 83.3 | 20.2 | 18.5 | 21.6 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 78.9 | 76.5 | 81.2 | 18.2 | 16.6 | 19.7 |
| Prince Edward Island | 80.2 | 77.5 | 82.8 | 19.3 | 17.6 | 20.7 |
| Nova Scotia | 80.1 | 77.7 | 82.4 | 19.3 | 17.5 | 20.9 |
| New Brunswick | 80.2 | 77.5 | 82.8 | 19.5 | 17.7 | 21.1 |
| Quebec | 81.2 | 78.8 | 83.4 | 20.1 | 18.3 | 21.6 |
| Ontario | 81.5 | 79.2 | 83.6 | 20.3 | 18.7 | 21.7 |
| Manitoba | 79.5 | 77.0 | 81.9 | 19.6 | 17.7 | 21.2 |
| Saskatchewan | 79.6 | 77.0 | 82.1 | 19.7 | 17.9 | 21.3 |
| Alberta | 80.7 | 78.5 | 83.0 | 20.2 | 18.5 | 21.6 |
| British Columbia | 81.7 | 79.5 | 83.9 | 20.7 | 19.2 | 22.0 |
| Territories(i) | 75.1 | 72.5 | 78.2 | 16.9 | 15.6 | 18.4 |
(i) Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Source: Statistics Canada.
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.