Health in Canada
Most health statistics in Canada in 2008 were at or above the G8 average. Direct comparisons of health statistics across nations is complex. The OECD collects comparative statistics, and has published brief country profiles. Life expectancy and health-adjusted life expectancy were on par with other similar countries in 2016. The leading causes of death and disability were non-communicable diseases. Cancer, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, and mental health and substance use disorders between them made up 56% of all disability-adjusted life years. The age-standardized death rate reduced by 12% from 2006 to 2016, although for mental and substance use disorders it increased by 11%. From 2015, people over the age of 65 years outnumbered younger Canadians.
A new measure of expected human capital calculated for 195 countries from 1990 to 2016 and defined for each birth cohort as the expected years lived from age 20 to 64 years and adjusted for educational attainment, learning or education quality, and functional health status was published by the Lancet in September 2018. Canada had the eleventh highest level of expected human capital with 25 health, education, and learning-adjusted expected years lived between age 20 and 64 years.
