Monthly and daily patterns of death

Objectives Using Canadian mortality data from 1974 to 1995, this article examines seasonal and daily patterns of death by cause. Data source Death records were extracted from the Canadian Vital Statistics Data Base, which is compiled from information provided to Statistics Canada by the Vital Statistics Registries in each province and territory. Analytical techniques Components of the time series of deaths by cause were calculated using X-11-ARIMA, developed by Statistics Canada. It combines the X-11 seasonal adjustment method of the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the ARIMA forecasting method. Main results For at least the past two decades, the highest number of deaths have occurred in the winter months. By specific cause, notable exceptions were deaths attributable to motor vehicle accidents and suicide. On a weekly basis, Saturday saw the largest numbers of deaths.