Weekly number of deaths in Québec, 2010–2020

In response to increased interest in the evolution of the number of deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ) is releasing today a new series of tables on the weekly number of deaths from all causes in Québec.
In this page :
 

Released data

The released data represent the weekly numbers of deaths from all causes from 2010 to 2020. In addition to this total, results are presented by sex, three age groups and three region groupings.
The delay from the latest available week to the release date is approximately four weeks for Québec-wide data, and seven weeks for regional data. A week spans from Sunday to the following Saturday (CDC week).
If the database completeness rate permits, updates will be made every two weeks. This will include data from two new weeks and revisions to previous weeks’ data as required.
These tables are intended to serve as a complement to the data on COVID-19-related deaths released by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) and the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ).
The data in the new series of tables are taken from the deaths database of the Registre des événements démographiques du Québec (RED), maintained by the ISQ as mandated by the MSSS. The MSSS uses this database to monitor the health status of the population, while the ISQ uses it to produce demographic data on the Québec population. It should be noted that the RED deaths database is not intended to provide a real-time estimate of the number of deaths.
Data for 2020 are updated every two weeks. For the province of Québec, the last week presented (CDC week 41) ends on October 10, 2020. For region groupings, the last week presented (CDC week 38) ends September 19, 2020.
 

Weekly deaths by sex, Québec, 2010–2020 Updated: November 5, 2020

 
 
Weekly deaths by sex, Québec, 2010–2020
 

Weekly deaths by age group, Québec, 2010–2020 Updated: November 5, 2020

 
Weekly deaths by age group, Québec, 2010–2020
 

Weekly deaths by region grouping, Québec, 2010–2020 Updated: November 5, 2020

 
Weekly deaths by region grouping, Québec, 2010–2020

Methodological notes

Universe:
Deaths of individuals residing in Québec, all causes of death.
CDC week:
Weeks as defined in several epidemiological studies, including those of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CDC weeks start on a Sunday and end on a Saturday. They are numbered sequentially from 1 to 52 or 53 depending on the year. For the dates of CDC weeks from 2010 to 2020, refer to this document (in French only).
Source:
Institut de la statistique du Québec, Deaths database of the Registre des événements démographiques du Québec.
Data extracted on October 30, 2020.
Data status by year:
2010 to 2017: Final data (d).
2018: Preliminary data (p), adjusted to take into account the database completeness. The completeness rate is estimated at 99% before the adjustment.
2019: Preliminary data (p), adjusted to take into account the database completeness. Estimated completeness ranges from 99% for the first weeks to 96% for the last weeks before the adjustment.
2020: Preliminary data (p) adjusted to take into account the database completeness. Data are still being collected and will be revised from one release to the next. Estimated completeness ranges from 95% for the first few weeks to almost 80% for the most recent, before the adjustment. These data must be interpreted with greater caution.
The estimation of completeness rates is based on an analysis of the history of the rate at which death bulletins are received and processed. Differential correction factors were applied by age group, sex and region grouping.
The current crisis could result in a different rate of receiving bulletins than the reference period used to develop the adjustment model. This should be taken into account when interpreting the results, especially for the most recent weeks.
The data presented in dotted lines are for weeks with lower database completeness and, therefore, higher weights. These data are more likely to be revised during updates.
Rounding:
Preliminary data are rounded to a multiple of 5; due to rounding, the total does not necessarily add up to the sum of parts.
Release date:
November 5, 2020
 

RED deaths database

The RED deaths database is created from death bulletins (SP-3), which are sent to the ISQ when a death occurs in Québec. These bulletins come mainly from healthcare facilities (hospitals, CHSLDs, etc.) and palliative-care homes. They may also be sent by the Coroner’s office in the case of deaths involving a investigation. The database also includes deaths of Québec residents that occurred in other Canadian provinces, whose records are provided by Statistics Canada through its own collection process. Deaths occurring in other countries are included when the information is transmitted to the ISQ.
In order to ensure the best possible completeness and quality, data should be considered final approximately 24 months after the end of a year.
Currently, data on deaths are final until 2017.
The statistics disseminated from the RED deaths database cover all deaths of individuals residing in Québec.
 

Production of preliminary data

Data from 2018 to 2020, which are still preliminary, have been adjusted to take into account the completeness of the database. The results for these years are based on the number of records present in the database at the time of production and on an estimate of the number of cases still missing (late registrations, deaths submitted to a coroner, deaths outside Québec). The estimate of the number of missing cases is based primarily on a historical analysis at which death bulletins are received and processed.
Under normal circumstances, it is estimated that approximately 50% of records are entered into the database within 15 days of death and 80% after 30 days. The database completeness rate reaches 90% after 8 weeks and 95% after 26 weeks. The majority of cases that are received late are cases referred to a coroner for which the bulletins are completed at the end of the investigation, as well as deaths that have occurred in other Canadian provinces.
The adjustments made to the 2018 and 2019 data are minor given the database completeness for these years, but are higher for 2020. They vary by age group and month of the year.
Cautionary note: Data for the most recent weeks should be interpreted with caution. The current situation may affect the rate of receiving and processing death bulletins on which the adjustment is based.