Canadian life expectancy up to 80.9 years

The life expectancy for Canadians rose slightly to 80.9 years in 2008, Statistics Canada reported from Ottawa Tuesday. The agency said the lifespan gain was 0.2 years higher than previous years. By comparison, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta reports the 2007 life expectancy in the United States is 77.9 years. In March, The Daily Mail newspaper reported the average lifespan in Britain was 80 years. In 2008, Canada's death rate declined to 5.3 deaths per 1,000 people from 5.4 a year earlier, the report said. In all countries and cultures, women generally tend to live longer than men, and such was the case in Canada as well. "In 2006-2008, men's life expectancy at birth was 78.5 years, up 0.2 years from 2005-2007," the agency said. "Life expectancy at birth for women increased 0.1 years to 83.1 years during the same period." Canada's infant mortality rate in 2008 was stable at 5.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, the report said.