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Life expectancy:
Retrieved from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-229-x/2009001/demo/lif-eng.htm
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the number of years a person would be expected to live, starting from birth (life expectancy at birth) or at age 65 (life expectancy at age 65), based on the mortality statistics for a given observation period. A widely used indicator of the health of a population, life expectancy measures quantity rather than quality of life.
Importance of indicator
Life expectancy at birth reflects the overall mortality of a population. It summarizes the mortality pattern that prevails across all age groups - children and adolescents, adults and the elderly1.
Background
The steady increase in life expectancy over the past centuries has been attributed to improved nutrition, better hygiene, access to safe drinking water, effective birth control and immunization and other medical interventions2.
At every stage of the life cycle, males are more likely than females to die. This difference, evident since industrialization, has created a gender gap in life expectancy2.
By 2031, average life expectancy in Canada is projected to have risen to 81.9 for males and 86.0 for females, with the gap between the sexes continuing to narrow3.
People with lower incomes, those living in poorer neighbourhoods, and people residing in the Inuit-inhabited areas tend to have shorter life expectancies4, 5, 6, 7 than do other Canadians.
Although life expectancy is increasing, not all years will necessarily be spent in full health; on average, Canadians can expect to spend 70 of 80 years in good health4.
Compared with other OECD countries, Canadian males and females have long life expectancies (78 and 83 years, respectively, in 2005). By comparison, Hungary ranked lowest for males at less than 69 years, while Iceland ranked highest (79 years). For females, Turkey ranked lowest at 74 years, and Japan ranked highest at 86 years.8.
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