Canada nears 100,000 assisted suicides as MAID deaths surpass every other country

Canada is fast approaching its 100,000th death from Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), a grim milestone that puts it way ahead of every other nation.

Health Canada reported that 76,475 Canadians had died under MAID as of December 31, 2024. New cases were arriving at roughly 45 per day, with 2024 alone recording 16,499 deaths. Even if approvals have steadied in recent months, the government’s own trajectory suggests the 100,000th death could come in early June, weeks before the 10th anniversary of Bill C-14, which first legalized doctor-assisted suicide.

“This spring, we’re about to hit our 100,000th individual,” said Canadian anti-MAID activist Kelsi Sheren on a podcast with British rapper Nzube Udezue, known as Zuby, according to the National Post. Sheren has tracked the milestone closely, warning that the country is approaching a six-figure tally in assisted deaths.

Canada legalized MAID in 2016, years after the Netherlands and Belgium, which began allowing assisted suicide in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Unlike Belgium,  Canada does not yet permit assisted suicide for patients suffering solely from mental illness, a step planned for early 2027, but the pace of deaths isnt slowing down.

Even as a later adopter, Canada’s MAID numbers have surged faster than any other jurisdiction. In 2020, assisted deaths jumped 36.8 percent from 5,461 to 7,451, then climbed another 34.8 percent to 9,842 the following year.  If trends continue, Canada could surpass the combined totals of every other country with legal euthanasia in a single year.

New Zealand, comparatively, has recorded roughly 1,000 deaths since 2021, Spain 697 in its first three years, and Colombia 692 between 2015 and 2023. In the US, state-level assisted suicide has existed since 1998, with total deaths reaching 5,329 across all states by 2022.

Even in Europe, long-standing euthanasia programs have produced smaller totals. Switzerland tallied 8,738 deaths over 20 years, Belgium 33,647 over 21 years. Only the Netherlands reports a higher share of assisted deaths relative to total mortality—5.8 percent versus 5.1 percent for Canada—but the larger Canadian population means more individual lives lost: 16,499 in 2024 alone, compared with 9,958 in the Netherlands.