Health-adjusted life expectancy

Number of years in good health an individual is expected to live given current morbidity and mortality conditions.

Health adjusted life expectancy (HALE) is a summary indicator that incorporates information on mortality (such as life expectancy) and health status (such as morbidity) into a single estimate that can be considered not only a measure of quantity of life but also a measure of quality of life. Estimates of HALE represent the number of years in good health that could be expected based on the average experience in a population if current patterns of mortality and health status persisted.

HALE combines the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) as a measure of health status with estimates of life expectancy. HUI3 is a summary index of health-related quality of life based on eight attributes of self-reported health status: vision, hearing, speech, ambulation, dexterity, emotion, cognition, and pain. The value of HUI3 can range from -0.36 (state worse than death; death represented by 0) to 1.00 (best possible health state).

This indicator draws on life expectancy data from the Canadian Vital Statistics – Birth Database (CVSB) and the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database (CVSD), HUI scores from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) (for the institutionalized population), and the Census of Population for population counts.

This indicator is measured through multiple Statistics Canada surveys. Estimates can vary between data sources due to differences in reference periods, targeted or sampled populations, data collection and other methodology.

• Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
• Canadian Vital Statistics Birth Database (CVSB)
• Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database (CVSD)
  • Table 13-10-0370-01 – Health-adjusted life expectancy, by sex
• Census of Population
• National Population Health Survey (NPHS)

• Selected indicators of quality of life in Canada (Statistics Canada – Data Visualization Products)

• Health of Canadians – Health outcomes (Health of Canadians, September 13, 2023)
• Health-adjusted life expectancy in Canada (Health Reports, April 18, 2018)