Estimating municipal life expectancy and health-adjusted life expectancy in Canada, 2019 and 2020

Data measuring life expectancy (LE) and health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) in Canada are available for large geographical areas, such as provinces, territories, and health regions. However, to date, no study has analyzed LE and HALE at the municipal level.

Death and population counts from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2020, were retrieved for 1,227 census subdivisions (CSDs) in Canada. CSDs are municipalities or areas treated as municipal equivalents by provincial and territorial governments. Functional health status was operationalized via the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) and obtained from the 2019 and 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey. CSD mortality rates and HUI3 scores for sex and age groups were estimated via multilevel regression models and poststratification. LE and HALE were calculated using life table methods and compared with previously published data for a subset of CSDs. The variability of LE and HALE was described using population, income, and educational characteristics.

The median CSD had estimates of LE at birth of 84.1 years for females and 79.6 years for males. The median CSD had estimates of HALE at birth of 70.8 years for females and 69.7 years for males. For both measures, the gaps between CSDs at the 95th and 5th percentiles of LE were approximately 13 years for females and 14 years for males. The differences between the model-based LE estimates and published data were typically less than one year. LE and HALE at birth were positively correlated with population size and the percentage of individuals aged 25 to 64 with a postsecondary education.

This study develops, validates, and describes the first set of LE and HALE estimates for municipalities in Canada. Municipal-level health indicators are important for research and policy focused on the health of local populations.