Nature of suffering people who received MAID Canada| Statista

In 2023, around 96 percent of people in Canada who received a medically assisted death suffered from a loss of ability to engage in meaningful activities. Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is permitted in Canada under very specific circumstances, with only medical practitioners allowed to assess and provide MAID.

How many medically assisted deaths are there in Canada per year?

In 2023, there were 15,343 medically assisted deaths in Canada. The number of medically assisted deaths in Canada has increased over the past few years, with only 5,665 such deaths in the year 2019. In 2023, Quebec was the province with the highest number of medically assisted deaths, followed by Ontario, and British Columbia. Most medically assisted deaths in Canada are among the elderly, and in most cases, natural death is reasonably foreseeable.

Reasons for medically assisted death

To be eligible for medical assistance in dying in Canada, one must meet certain criteria. One important criterion is that a person must have a grievous and irremediable medical condition. Among those who receive MAID, the most common medical conditions they suffer from are cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and respiratory conditions. However, cancer accounts for the majority of cases, with around 63 percent of those receiving MAID in 2022 suffering from cancer.

Percentage of people who received a medically assisted death who suffered from select conditions in Canada in 2023

Characteristic	Track 1*	Track 2*
Loss of ability to engage in meaningful activities	95.5%	96.3%
Loss of ability to perform activities of daily living	87.3%	83.1%
Loss of dignity	64.9%	70.4%
Inadequate control of pain	54.4%	58.5%
Loss of independence	52.8%	39.1%
Perceived burden on family, friends or caregivers	45.1%	49.2%
Inadequate control of symptoms other than pain	41.8%	31.2%
Emotional distress / anxiety / fear / existential suffering	38.5%	35%
Loss of control of bodily functions	33.4%	32.2%
Isolation or loneliness	21.1%	47.1%
Other	3.6%	4.8%

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Release date

December 2024

More information

Region

Canada

Survey time period

2023

Number of respondents

15,343 respondents

Supplementary notes

* "In 2021, in response to jurisprudence that found that the requirements for MAID were unconstitutional as being too restrictive, the Criminal Code was amended to create two separate “tracks” for MAID. Under both tracks, individuals must meet the minimum eligibility requirements before being able to be considered for MAID:

Track 1: Refers to a request for MAID made by a person who meets the eligibility requirements set out in the Criminal Code and whose natural death is “reasonably foreseeable”
Track 2: Refers to a request for MAID made by a person who meets the eligibility requirement set out in the Criminal Code and whose natural death is not “reasonably foreseeable”"

Adapted from Statistics Canada, Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada 2023, page 32, 2024. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

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