Statistics Canada, Canadian Vital Statistics - Death database (CVSD)

Detailed information for 2022 (annual); 2023 and 2024 (provisional monthly); January 2021 to October 2023 (provisional death count)

Status:

Active

Frequency:

Multiple

Record number:

3233

This is an administrative survey that collects demographic and medical (cause of death) information annually and monthly from all provincial and territorial vital statistics registries on all deaths in Canada.

The 2019 to 2022 data are considered preliminary due to improvements in methodology and timeliness which shortened the duration of data collection. Data for Yukon are not available as of 2017.

Data release - November 27, 2023 (2022 annual); provisional data are released monthly on the second Thursday of the month

Description

This is an administrative survey that collects demographic and medical (cause of death) information annually and monthly from all provincial and territorial vital statistics registries on all deaths in Canada. Prior to 2010, some annual data were also collected on Canadian residents who die in American states. Starting with the reference year 2010, Canadian residents who die in American states are no longer collected.

The data are used to calculate basic indicators (such as counts and rates) on deaths of residents of Canada. Information from this database is also used in the calculation of statistics, such as cause-specific death rates and life expectancy.

For Canada as a whole, it was impossible to compile a satisfactory series of vital statistics prior to 1921. Eight provinces initially joined the cooperative Canadian vital statistics system, leading to the publication of the first annual report for Canada in 1921; that report included Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Quebec began to participate in 1926 and Newfoundland in 1949 (after joining Confederation) and their data were included in the tabulations from those years onward. Basic data from the Yukon and Northwest Territories were published as appendices to the national tables from 1924 to 1955; their data were first included in the regular tabulations in 1956. Nunavut came into being officially as a territory of Canada on April 1, 1999. The name Northwest Territories applies to a Territory with different geographic boundaries before and after April 1, 1999.

Prior to 1944 all vital events were classified by place of occurrence. Since 1944, births, stillbirths, and deaths have been classified by area of reported residence, with births and stillbirths according to the residence of the mother.

The cause of death variable in the death database is classified according to the World Health Organization "International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems" (ICD). The following table shows the data years for which each revision of this classification was used. Data users must note that cause of death data coded to different revisions of the classification are not comparable and they should contact Statistics Canada for assistance with the use of this variable across classification revisions.

"International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems" (ICD) Revision and Data Year Used at Statistics Canada:

- ICD-3 used from 1921 to 1930
- ICD-4 used from 1931 to 1940
- ICD-5 used from 1941 to 1949
- ICD-6 used from 1950 to 1957
- ICD-7 used from 1958 to 1968
- ICDA-8 used from 1969 to 1978
- ICD-9 used from 1979 to 1999
- ICD-10 used from 2000 to present

Reference period: Calendar year (annual); Monthly (provisional)

Collection period: For annual data, approximately 13 months after January 1 of the reference year; for monthly data, approximately one month after the end of the reference period.

Subjects

  • Births and deaths
  • Diseases and health conditions
  • Health
  • Life expectancy and deaths
  • Population and demography

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The conceptual universe of the monthly provisional Death database is deaths occurring in Canada of Canadian residents and non-residents.

The target population of the monthly provisional Death database is deaths occurring in Canada of Canadian residents and non-residents.

The actual (survey) population of the monthly provisional Death database is deaths occurring in Canada of Canadian residents and non-residents in Canada.

Instrument design

This methodology does not apply.

Sampling

This survey is a census with a cross-sectional design.

No sampling is done.

Data sources

Data collection for this reference period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-08-24 (2022 annual)

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are extracted from administrative files.

Provincial and territorial Vital Statistics Acts (or equivalent legislation) render compulsory the registration of all live births, stillbirths, deaths and marriages within their jurisdictions.

The Canadian Vital Statistics system operates under an agreement between the Government of Canada and governments of the provinces and territories. The Vital Statistics Council for Canada, an advisory committee set up by an Order-in-Council, oversees policy and operational matters. All provincial and territorial jurisdictions and Statistics Canada are represented on the Vital Statistics Council. Under the agreement, all registrars collect a specified set of data elements, although any of them may decide to collect additional information.

The central Vital Statistics Registry in each province and territory provides data from death registrations to Statistics Canada. The form for the registration of a death consists of personal information, supplied to the funeral director by an informant, and the medical certificate of cause of death, completed by the medical practitioner last in attendance, or by a coroner, if an inquest or enquiry was held. The following statistical data items are reported for each death by the appropriate authorities for inclusion in the Canadian Vital Statistics system:

- Age, sex, marital status, place of residence and birthplace of the deceased
- Date of death
- Underlying cause of death classified to the " World Health Organization International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems" (ICD).
- Province or territory of occurrence of death
- Place of accident (for most non-transport accidental deaths)
- Autopsy (whether one was held, and if so, whether the results of it were taken into account in establishing the cause of death)

All jurisdictions supply microfilm copies or optical images or paper copies of death registration forms to Statistics Canada. In addition, all provinces supply electronic abstracts of registrations, which contain the required standard information.

Starting with the data for reference year 2007, the electronic transfer was performed by sending the data via the National Routing System (NRS) according to Statistics Canada standards. The effective date for this method of transmission varies by province (2007 for Alberta; 2008 for Manitoba; 2010 for Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia; 2012 for New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador; and 2018 for Quebec and Northwest Territories).

For Nunavut, the required standard information on paper is converted to electronic format at Statistics Canada.

Subsequent changes to registrations due to errors, amendments or omissions are transmitted to Statistics Canada as the information becomes available. However, changes received after a cut-off date are not reflected in published tabulations.

Mortality rates are calculated using the July 1 population estimates released in December, 2022.

Error detection

Provinces and territories that supply machine-readable data carry out edits (edit validation and data consistency) before transmitting their data, based on standard edit specifications prepared by Statistics Canada. The Centre for Population Health Data has actively promoted the use of a standard data dictionary and standard correlation edits for provincial/territorial data entry. More extensive edit routines are applied to the data by Statistics Canada to ascertain completeness and quality of the data. After the preparation of a preliminary data file, verification tables are prepared for data review by the registries and Statistics Canada (for example, distributions, large changes, percentage and number of unknowns, outliers and changes in the relative composition).

The last comprehensive study of the quality of data capture and data coding was done in 1981, when error rates for most variables were found to be quite low. Since then, studies have been completed on an irregular basis for specific provinces. The most recent study was done in 2002 on the 2000 Prince Edward Island death data following their development of a new data capture system. A systematic random sample of records was drawn, and the Prince Edward Island capture was compared with the microfilmed documents. Inconsistencies were documented, and a report was sent to the Prince Edward Island Vital Statistics Registrar. Overall, the error rate was zero for most of the important statistical variables (sex of decedent, place of birth) and very low for others (date of birth, age).

The only death data regularly captured at Statistics Canada are from the three territories. Operations and Integration Division maintains data capture quality controls and performs 20% verification of captured data to maintain an error rate of less than 3%.

Imputation

For annual data, imputation was done for any missing province or territory of residence, sex, age and date of birth of the decedent. Missing data on province or territory of residence of the deceased in Canada were imputed to the province or territory of occurrence. Missing data on sex were imputed based on the cause of death information and a logistic regression. Missing age values were imputed based on the date of birth years (if provided) or by imputing the age value to the median age observed for groups of similar causes of death. Missing dates of birth for the deceased were imputed according to a decision table based on other information provided with each file. In general, these imputations affect few records annually.

No imputations were done for provisional monthly data.

Estimation

This administrative survey only produces estimates for provisional monthly deaths.

Quality evaluation

Upon completion of the monthly provisional database (produced as described in the section Error Detection above), Statistics Canada carries out minor quality checks that include:

1) producing a set of verification tables which consist of basic tabulations for the majority of variables in the database by province or territory of occurrence,

2) running frequencies and looking for outliers on certain data elements and,

3) comparing the most recent data year with past data years to detect any unusual or unexpected changes.

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

In order to prevent any data disclosure, confidentiality analysis is done using the Statistics Canada Generalized Disclosure Control System (G-Confid). G-Confid is used for primary suppression (direct disclosure) as well as for secondary suppression (residual disclosure). Direct disclosure occurs when the value in a tabulation cell is composed of or dominated by few enterprises while residual disclosure occurs when confidential information can be derived indirectly by piecing together information from different sources or data series.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

Monthly data are provisional and will be revised on a monthly basis.

Data accuracy

Due to improvements in methodology and timeliness, the duration of data collection has been shortened compared to previous years. As a result, there may have been fewer deaths captured by the time of release. The 2019 to 2022 data are therefore considered preliminary. Death data for Yukon are not available starting with the 2017 reference year.

The demographers Bourbeau and Lebel have compared Canadian mortality and census data with other countries, and determined that the number of centenarians appears quite high in relation to other industrialized countries. In the absence of civil registration in Canada before 1921 and high levels of immigration to Canada, it is difficult to determine if the number of persons aged 100 and older is overestimated. On the death file, age and date of birth outliers are annually reviewed for capture errors. Reconciliation with other data sources is difficult, especially in the case of immigrants. Where birth certificates are unavailable, the overestimated age may have been used consistently on other documents such as health care registration, income tax, and census.

Documentation

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