Victoria indicators

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Toxic drug death rate, B.C. vs Canada

Calculated hereArea: All of B.C. compared with Comparison area: All of Canada Calendar year 2025 · Where this covers · How we calculated this

32.6 per 100,000 people (B.C.)

For context

Canada 13.7 per 100,000. B.C.'s rate is 2.4 times Canada's

Source: Calculated here from Public Health Agency of Canada data, 2025 · How we calculated this

What it measures

Deaths from opioid toxicity for every 100,000 people in B.C., next to the rate for Canada as a whole.

Why it matters

A rate allows a fair comparison between a province and the country. A Victoria-only rate is not published as open data.

Over time

Apparent opioid toxicity deaths per 100,000 people

  • All of B.C.: 32.6 per 100,000 (2025)
  • All of Canada: 13.7 per 100,000 (2025)
Line chart of 2 lines, 10 periods from 2016 to 2025. All of B.C.: starts at 16.6 per 100,000 (2016), ends at 32.6 per 100,000 (2025); highest 41.6 per 100,000 (2023), lowest 16.6 per 100,000 (2016). All of Canada: starts at 7.8 per 100,000 (2016), ends at 13.7 per 100,000 (2025); highest 20.2 per 100,000 (2023), lowest 7.8 per 100,000 (2016). Every value is in the table.0.020.040.060.0201720192021202320252016: All of B.C.: 16.6 per 100,000; All of Canada: 7.8 per 100,0002017: All of B.C.: 26.3 per 100,000; All of Canada: 10.7 per 100,0002018: All of B.C.: 27.9 per 100,000; All of Canada: 11.5 per 100,0002019: All of B.C.: 17.7 per 100,000; All of Canada: 9.6 per 100,0002020: All of B.C.: 30.2 per 100,000; All of Canada: 16.3 per 100,0002021: All of B.C.: 38.9 per 100,000; All of Canada: 19.9 per 100,0002022: All of B.C.: 39.4 per 100,000; All of Canada: 18.7 per 100,0002023: All of B.C.: 41.6 per 100,000; All of Canada: 20.2 per 100,0002024: All of B.C.: 35.7 per 100,000; All of Canada: 16.2 per 100,0002025: All of B.C.: 32.6 per 100,000; All of Canada: 13.7 per 100,000

The scale starts at 0.0. Tap, hover or drag along the chart to see each value.

Reading this page

This page is for context, so it has no “better” or “worse” label. For the year-to-year direction in B.C., see Toxic drug deaths in B.C. In 2025, 32.6 deaths per 100,000 people in B.C. and 13.7 in Canada as a whole, so B.C.'s rate was 2.4 times the Canadian rate. In 2016: 16.6 and 7.8. The rules.

How we calculated this

Calculated here This figure is not published by an agency as is. It is calculated here, by script, from the public data listed below. It belongs with Toxic drug deaths in B.C., per year.

Formula

Ratio = B.C. deaths per 100,000 ÷ Canada deaths per 100,000.

With the latest numbers

  • 2025: 32.6 ÷ 13.7 = 2.38.

Inputs

Keep in mind

  • The rates per 100,000 are published by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Only the ratio (B.C. ÷ Canada) is calculated here.
  • Each province defines and counts these deaths itself; the Public Health Agency of Canada says comparisons between places should be made with caution.
  • From 2025, B.C. figures include deaths still under investigation and deaths involving any unregulated drug, so the 2025 B.C. rate is not directly comparable to earlier years.
  • A Greater Victoria or Island Health rate is not published as open data, so Victoria cannot be shown.
  • Recent figures are preliminary and usually rise as investigations close.

Retrieved Nov 11, 2026, 12:38 AM B.C. time. This page’s data and calculation (JSON).

Source

Calculated here from
Public Health Agency of Canada
Period
Calendar year 2025
Updated
Quarterly
Retrieved
Nov 11, 2026, 12:38 AM B.C. time
Show the numbers as a table
Apparent opioid toxicity deaths per 100,000 people (newest first)
PeriodAll of B.C.All of Canada
202532.613.7
202435.716.2
202341.620.2
202239.418.7
202138.919.9
202030.216.3
201917.79.6
201827.911.5
201726.310.7
201616.67.8

Where this covers

Area: All of B.C.

The whole province of British Columbia. No open figure is published for Victoria alone.

Included

  • All of British Columbia

Not included

  • No separate figure for Victoria or Island Health is published as open data

Shown for comparison

  • Comparison area: All of Canada Canada as a whole, shown only for comparison.

How the agency describes it: British Columbia and Canada (no open figure for Victoria).

Connected to: Provincial (health and coroner services), Federal (national surveillance). This is a label, not a judgement.

Related measures