Opioid deaths in Canada fell 17% but 20 people still died per day in 2024 – GLOBAL

June 25, 2025

An average of 20 Canadians died from an opioid overdose every day last year, federal health officials say, despite opioid-related drug toxicity deaths falling 17 per cent from the year before.

The data for 2024 released Wednesday by the Public Health Agency of Canada showed 7,146 deaths were recorded last year. Eighty per cent of those occurred in just three provinces — British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario — although all three saw decreases from 2023.

Increased deaths in 2024 compared to the year prior were reported in Quebec, the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland and Labrador, according to a joint statement from the country’s chief medical officers of health, chief coroners and chief medical examiners.

“Due to colonialization and continued marginalization, many Indigenous communities have also experienced increases in deaths and disproportionate harms, particularly among Indigenous women,” the statement said.

Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/11260639/opioid-overdose-deaths-2024-canada-data/