Data collected amid the pandemic shows that life expectancy in countries, which has increased steadily since the 1980s, began to decline in 2020, and then again in 2021, due to the pandemic.

In 2021, life expectancy at birth fell to 81.6 from 81.7 in 2020.

That year, men experienced the most significant decline: 0.2 years, while women currently live on average to 84 years, the study said.

The text highlights, however, that 59.7 percent of Canadians report that their general health is excellent.

However, there are reports of an increase in anxiety and other mood disorders, which particularly affect the country’s indigenous populations.

Similarly, the rate of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada, among men has declined significantly, from a reported rate of 72.2 per 100,000 people in 2015 to 62.5 in 2021.

In contrast, young people aged 12 to 17 decreased their level of physical activity by 14 percent.

Of the 81.8 percent of children aged five to 11 whose caregivers reported participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity over the course of a week, only 34.9 percent met the 60 minutes of activity recommended daily.

StatCan’s findings also indicate that while 85.5 percent of Canadians had regular access to a health care provider in 2021, 14.4 percent did not.

This represents approximately 4.7 million people who still need a family doctor.

ro/adr