Canada Records 16,499 Deaths by Euthanasia in 2024

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Canada Records 16,499 Deaths by Euthanasia in 2024

Canada recorded 16,499 deaths by euthanasia in 2024, marking the highest annual total since the country legalized medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in 2016. According to Health Canada’s latest annual report, euthanasia now accounts for approximately 5.1 per cent of all deaths nationwide.

The total represents a 6.9 per cent increase from 2023, continuing a steady upward trend in MAiD deaths, although the rate of growth has slowed compared with earlier years. Since legalization, more than 76,000 people in Canada have died through MAiD.

MAiD Requests and Outcomes

Health Canada reported 22,535 MAiD requests in 2024. Of these, 16,499 resulted in euthanasia. The remaining requests were withdrawn, found to be ineligible, or the individuals died from other causes before MAiD could be provided.

Canadian law distinguishes between clinician-administered euthanasia and assisted suicide, where a patient self-administers life-ending medication. In 2024, all reported MAiD deaths were clinician-administered euthanasia, with no cases of assisted suicide recorded.

Reasons Cited by Patients

Health Canada data indicates that many individuals who received MAiD cited social and psychological factors in addition to physical suffering. Reported reasons included:

Loss of ability to engage in meaningful activities (75.5 per cent)
Perceived burden on family or caregivers (48.5 per cent)
Emotional distress, anxiety, fear or existential suffering (58.1 per cent)
Isolation or loneliness (22.9 per cent)

Advocacy groups have expressed concern that these figures suggest vulnerable individuals may be seeking euthanasia due to inadequate social, psychological, or palliative support.

Track 1 and Track 2 MAiD Cases

Canada’s MAiD framework includes two eligibility tracks:

Track 1 applies to individuals whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable.
Track 2 applies to individuals whose death is not reasonably foreseeable.

In 2024, 732 MAiD deaths occurred under Track 2, an increase from the previous year. Conditions cited under Track 2 included chronic pain, frailty, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. A majority of Track 2 recipients identified as having a disability.

Future Expansion of MAiD

The Canadian government has announced plans to further expand MAiD eligibility. Current legislation allows for euthanasia for mental illness as a sole underlying condition beginning in 2027, a move that has sparked significant ethical, medical, and political debate both within Canada and internationally.