In 2020, just over four times more Canadians died from heart disease or stroke (67,399) than from COVID-19 (16,151). Heart disease (53,704) was the second leading cause of death in Canada after cancer, and stroke (13,695) was the fifth leading cause of death. Deaths directly attributable to COVID-19 ranked third in Canada in 2020.
In fact, more than one-fifth of Canadians who died in 2020 died of heart disease (17.5%) or cerebrovascular disease (4.5%).
However, the good news is that the age-standardized mortality rate for 2020 was down from previous years: 118.3 per 100,000 people for heart disease and 34.9 per 100,000 people for cerebrovascular disease. This rate has generally been trending downward for the past 20 years.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).