Unintentional injuries emerged as the third leading cause of death in 2023, trailing only cancer and heart disease, due to a surge in accidental drug poisonings and falls, government statistics suggest.
While injuries from transport accidents, falls, poisonings, drownings, and fires were included in the 20,597 deaths, drug poisonings and accidental falls were the driving forces behind the increase, StatCan said.
As a percentage of deaths from all causes, those attributed to accidental falls has typically been higher than that of accidental drug poisoning. However, since the beginning of the opioid crisis, “the gap between the two has markedly narrowed,” the report said. “In fact, accidental drug poisoning deaths surpassed accidental fall deaths in 2021.”
There has been a steady rise in the number of accidental drug poisoning deaths since 2000, with a notable 59 percent increase observed during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, StatCan said.
Accidental drug poisoning deaths rose from 4,039 in 2019 to 6,412 in 2020 and peaked in 2021 at 7,405 deaths. While the numbers dropped in the following two years, the number of fatal drug poisonings remained high at 7,179 deaths in 2022 and 7,162 deaths in 2023.
Prior to the 2020 surge in accidental drug poisoning deaths, the largest increase occurred during the early years of the opioid crisis, rising 51 percent from 2,176 deaths in 2015, to 3,286 in 2016, StatCan said.
The death toll continued its upward trend in 2017, reaching a total of 4,558 recorded fatal drug poisonings, which further increased in 2018 to 4,673, the report found. The following year marked a modest decline, with the total number of deaths decreasing to 4,039.
The number of deaths attributed to accidental drug poisonings increased for both males and females between 2000 to 2023, but the largest rise occurred among males, with a 69 percent increase from 2,870 in 2019 to 4,847 in 2020, the agency said.
A 34 percent rise in accidental drug poisoning deaths was observed for the same period among females.
Deaths From Falls
The total number of deaths attributed to accidental falls has shown a steady upward trend, increasing from 1,570 in 2000 to 7,997 in 2023, averaging an annual rise of 280 fatalities, StatCan said.“Overall, this represents a 410 percent rise over the roughly quarter-century period,” the report said. “This may be related to the aging population and the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions.”
A review of age-standardized mortality rates by gender indicates the frequency of accidental deaths due to falls has persistently been higher in males over the years, StatCan said.
The statistics for 2023 indicate a death rate of 22.3 per 100,000 among males and 17.8 per 100,000 among females. Figures for 2023 indicate 78 percent of all male deaths caused by accidental falls involved those aged 75 and older, compared to 90 percent among females.
The mortality rates due to accidental falls rose significantly with age. In the 65-to-74 age category, the rate stood at 17.5 per 100,000 individuals, grew to 87.7 per 100,000 for those aged 75 to 84, and surged to 526.7 per 100,000 for individuals aged 85 and older.
StatCan’s more recent numbers are still subject to change, the agency said. It described the numbers since 2020 as “preliminary estimates” that could rise as coroner or medical examiner investigations are completed and final causes of death are determined.
To date, 11,614 deaths remain under investigation and information for an additional 6,166 deaths has yet to be received by Statistics Canada.
