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Ministry of Health
TABLE 23
LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH BY AGE AND GENDER
British Columbia, 2001

Table, Leading Causes of Death by Age and Gender

[Click here to download a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet of the above table]

HIGHLIGHTS TO TABLE 23
  • There were 159 infant deaths (under one year of age) in 2001, an increase from 149 deaths in 2000 (see Table 4). Perinatal conditions were the leading cause of infant deaths (81 deaths) and congenital anomalies were second leading cause of infant deaths (49). Ten deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) were recorded for 2001. This number may be amended in future reports as medical investigations are completed.

  • There were 95 deaths of children in the 1-14 year age group in 2001. Unintentional injury/accident was the leading cause of death in this age group, with 28 deaths (15 boys and 13 girls or 53.6% males). Cancer, the second leading cause of death for this age group, claimed 13 young lives, 7 boys and 6 girls.

  • Unintentional injury/accidents were responsible for 42.1% (128 deaths) of the 304 deaths in the 15-24 year age group. The second leading cause of death in this age group was cancer, which claimed 24 lives. Violence (homicides and suicides) claimed almost one in ten deaths (9.2%) in this age group; there were 20 suicides (the third leading cause of death) and 8 homicides (in fourth place).

  • In the 25-44 year age group, there were 1,291 deaths in 2001. For men in this age group, the leading cause of death was unintentional injury/accident (244 deaths), followed by cancer and suicide, both with (98) deaths. For women in this age group, cancer was the leading cause of death (146 deaths), followed by unintentional injury/accident (62 deaths).

  • The leading causes of death in the 45-64 year age group were cancer (1,822 deaths), cardiovascular disease (680), and unintentional injury/accidents (223). There were 2,602 male deaths and 1,610 female deaths in this age group. More than a third of the male deaths (35.5%) and more than half (55.8%) of female deaths in this age group were due to cancer (923 males and 899 female deaths).

  • In 2001, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease were the leading causes of death for both men and women in the 65-84 year age group. In total, these causes account for two thirds (66.2%) of all of the deaths in this age group.

  • The leading causes of death in the 85 and over age group were cardiovascular disease, cancer and cerebrovascular disease. Deaths from cardiovascular diseases (2,677) accounted for a almost a third (32.0%) of the 8,371 deaths in this age group.