Euthanasia Now Responsible For 1 In 20 Deaths In Canada

Medically-assisted dying – also known as voluntary euthanasia – accounted for 4.7% of deaths in Canada in 2023, new government data shows.

The country's fifth annual report since euthanasia was legalised in 2016 showed around 15,300 people underwent assisted dying last year after being successful in their applications.

The median age of this group was more than 77. The vast majority – around 96% - had a death deemed "reasonably foreseeable", due to severe medical conditions such as cancer.

In the small minority of other cases, patients may not have been terminally ill, but sought an assisted death due to a long and complicated illness that had significantly impacted their quality of life.

Canada is among a few countries that have introduced assisted dying laws in the past decade. Others include Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Austria.

In Canada, consenting adults can request medical assistance in dying from a healthcare provider if they have a serious and irremediable medical condition...

More than 320,000 people died in Canada in 2023, and 15,300 of those deaths - about one in 20 - were medically assisted.