As Canada nears a decade since legalizing doctor-assisted death, new federal figures indicate the annual number of such deaths is beginning to stabilize. The sixth annual report on medical assistance in dying (MAID) from Health Canada provides a comprehensive look at the state of end-of-life choices across the nation.
Stabilizing Numbers After Years of Growth
A total of 16,499 Canadians received medical assistance in dying in 2024, accounting for 5.1 percent of all deaths in the country. This represents a slight increase of 0.4 percent from the previous year. The year-over-year growth rate has seen a significant decline, dropping from 36.8 percent between 2019 and 2020 to just 6.9 percent between 2023 and 2024.
While the data suggests the number of annual MAID provisions is starting to level off, the report cautions that "it will take several more years before long-term trends can be conclusively identified." Since the practice became legal in 2016, Canada has recorded 76,475 MAID deaths in total.
Understanding the Two Tracks of MAID
The report highlights important distinctions between different types of MAID recipients. The vast majority—95.6 percent—of people who died by MAID in 2024 had a "reasonably foreseeable" death, classified as "Track 1" cases. These individuals were typically older, with an average age of 78, and cancer was the most frequently cited underlying condition.
In contrast, those who received MAID without having a reasonably foreseeable natural death—known as "Track 2" cases—presented a different profile. This group was predominantly female (56.7 percent), slightly younger, and had typically lived longer with a serious and incurable condition compared to Track 1 recipients.
Sources of Suffering and Eligibility Concerns
The latest data emerges amid ongoing public discussion about the reasons people seek MAID and whether some medical practitioners are interpreting the law too broadly. Under Canada's MAID criteria, individuals must experience intolerable and "enduring physical or psychological suffering."
The report examined the specific sources of this suffering among MAID recipients. In 2024, loss of ability to engage in meaningful activities was the most commonly reported issue, followed closely by the loss of ability to perform basic daily tasks like eating, dressing, and moving around.
While isolation or loneliness wasn't reported as the sole source of suffering for any MAID cases, the data revealed differences between the two tracks. Track 1 recipients were more likely to report concerns about uncontrolled symptoms, while Track 2 recipients more frequently cited isolation or loneliness and loss of dignity as contributing factors.
Beyond cancer, common conditions among those who received MAID included neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease, diabetes, frailty, autoimmune conditions, and chronic pain—particularly among those whose natural deaths weren't considered reasonably foreseeable.
