In the past quarter century, the difference in life expectancy between the sexes has narrowed. According to a new Statistics Canada report, the average life expectancy hit 79.9 years in 2003, up from 79.7 in 2002. The new figures, using the most up-to-date data available, place Canada higher than the North American average of 77.9, and the European average of 73.7 years of age. The world average is 65.4, according to United Nations' statistics. As usual, Canadian women have a longer life expectancy than men, 82.4, while men were at 77.4 years. Men improved by 6 years, or one year for every four calendar years since 1979, while women only improved by 3.6 years, or one year for every 6.7 calendar years. As the population ages, more people are dying in the Canada than ever before. In 2003, the percentage of those who passed away rose by 1.2 per cent over the previous year, while the population increased by 1 per cent. The study also recorded the most common cause of death and most common form of cancer that lead to death. More than 60 per cent of deaths in 2003 were a result of circulatory disease and cancer combined. The most significant jump in cancer deaths in the last quarter century was in the number of female deaths from lung cancer. That figure has doubled, from 16.3 in 1979 to 35.4 in 2003.

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