New data on the life expectancy of Canadians paints a stark picture of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the new Health of People in Canada Dashboard, life expectancy dropped 0.4 years from 2019 going into early 2020 – the largest drop on record.
The average life expectancy in Canada as of 2020 was around 82, with women averaging 84 years and men at 80.
The average health-adjusted life expectancy – a measure of how many healthy years Canadians have left – averages just 69.7.
The data also shows that the virus quickly became a leading cause of death in Canada, behind cancer and heart disease.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, says the new interactive dashboard will become an integral part of her annual reporting on the overall health of Canadians.