COVID drives record annual decline in life expectancy

COVID-19 contributed to the biggest annual reduction in life expectancy on record in Canada in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, Statistics Canada said in preliminary findings released on Monday.

While COVID was the third-leading cause of deaths in 2020, Statscan said the impact from the pandemic also likely contributed indirectly with a rise in deaths due to factors such as delayed medical procedures and increased drug-use.

The findings were largely in line with an Oxford University study last year that said life expectancy in 2020 fell by more than six months annually in 22 out of the 29 countries the university looked at.

Life expectancy in Canada declined by about 0.6 years to 81.7 years in 2020, when authorities depended on lockdowns and other restrictive measures to combat virus infections.

“The pandemic has had a significant impact on mortality in Canada, contributing to the largest annual decline in life expectancy” since 1921, when the current system of measuring mortality was set up.

The largest declines were observed in provinces including Ontario and Quebec, which together account for more than 60 per cent of Canada’s population of about 38 million.

COVID-19 accounted for 5.3 per cent of all deaths in Canada in 2020.