10 Years of Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada: The Numbers
Since legalization in June 2016, 76,475 people have received MAID, representing 5% of all deaths in Canada by the end of 2024.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Medical assistance in dying was legalized in Canada on June 17, 2016. Here's a snapshot of the landscape a decade on.
Between legalization and December 31, 2024, 76,475 people received MAID. In 2024 alone, 16,499 people accessed it—15,767 whose deaths were deemed reasonably foreseeable and 732 whose deaths were not reasonably foreseeable but who were experiencing intolerable suffering.
As of 2024, there are 2,266 MAID practitioners. Of those, 93.2 per cent are medical doctors and 6.8 per cent are nurse practitioners.
MAID now accounts for 5 per cent of all deaths in Canada. The median age of recipients is 77.9 years—slightly older for Track 1 patients (whose deaths are reasonably foreseeable, median 78) and slightly younger for Track 2 patients (median 75.9).
Cancer remains the most common condition among those who received MAID. In 2024, 10,035 recipients had cancer. For Track 2 patients, 378 had neurological conditions.
Not everyone who requests MAID receives it. In 2024, 1,327 people were assessed as ineligible, 692 withdrew their request, and 68 changed their minds immediately before receiving MAID. Another 4,017 people wanted MAID but died before receiving it.
A 90-day minimum wait period applies between assessing a Track 2 patient and the day MAID is provided.
The federal government has said it would begin offering MAID to people whose sole underlying condition is mental illness in 2027, though this eligibility expansion has been repeatedly delayed and remains controversial.