Exploring the Data
Reliable scientific data across a variety of areas and indicators provide a useful tool when looking at well-being. As indicators are developed, the following section will highlights some of the data in the NL Well-Being Framework. More in-depth statistics and data can be found at Community Accounts.
Health Adjusted Life Expectancy
You have probably heard stats around life expectancy at birth before. It is one of the most basic measures of the overall health of a population and tells us how long the typical Canadian can expect to live. For the 2020–2022 period, the life expectancy at birth for Canadians was 81.6 years. For Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, it was 79.2 years.
However, as stated by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, “Life expectancy at birth is a measure of the quantity rather than quality of life. On its own, life expectancy does not tell us the number of years Canadians can expect to live in good health; it simply tells us how many years they can expect to live.”
The NL Well-Being Framework uses Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy (HALE) as one of the indicators under the domain of Health. Health-adjusted life expectancy is a more comprehensive indicator than that of life expectancy because it introduces the concept of quality of life. Health-adjusted life expectancy is the number of years in full health that an individual can expect to live.
According to the most recent available data from the 2015–2017 period, the Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy at Birth was 69.7 years for Canada, and 66.4 years for Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy at Birth when compared to other Canadian provinces – meaning we are living less of our lives in good health than the rest of Canada.
Previous data shows that Health Adjusted Life Expectancy at Birth (in NL) has been declining, which is why action around Well-Being is so crucial.
To explore more in-depth community, regional and provincial data, check out Community Accounts.