Life expectancy of Quebecers has recovered from the shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest data published Wednesday by the Institut de la statistic du Québec (ISQ).
The life expectancy of Quebec’s population reached 83 years in 2021, after being 82.3 years in 2020 and 82.9 years in 2019, the year that preceded the health crisis.
The ISQ determined that, according to mortality conditions for 2021, the average life expectancy is 81.1 years for men and 84.9 years for women.
The newsletter titled Mortality and life expectancy in Quebec in 2021 shows that, contrary to what was observed in Quebec, life expectancy in 2021 has not yet returned to 2019 levels in most countries where the data is available.
Prior to the pandemic, there had been a slight slowdown in the growth of life expectancy in Quebec, but it was more pronounced in other parts of Canada and beyond in the United States. For example, the gap between Quebec and the United States, which was approximately 2 years in 2001, fell to 4 years in 2019, and it widened further when the pandemic reached 6 years in the United States, based on preliminary estimate last year.
However, the ISQ points out that different authorities do not count the causes of death associated with COVID-19 in the same way. The assessment of excess mortality allows the best comparison of the health consequences of a pandemic, according to the Institute.
This approach shows the number of deaths typically expected to actually be observed and shows that the net excess mortality was at 4.5% in Quebec between the start of the pandemic and March 12, or approximately 6,400 deaths. which is more than expected, all the causes are combined.
However, the Statistical Institute of Quebec maintains that the overestimation of mortality in the United States is higher than in Quebec, while that in the rest of Canada, initially lower than in Quebec, is gradually approaching and surpassed it in 2021.
Source: Radio-Canada
