Excess Mortality, Institutionalization and Homelessness Among Status Indians in Canada

Arbeitspapier

In this paper we use confidential-use Census and administrative data to produce the first national estimates of excess mortality, institutionalization and homelessness for the largest Indigenous population in Canada from the ages of 5 to 64. We identify mortality rates at least twice the Canadian average and find exceptionally high mortality rates for young Indigenous women and girls – up to four times the Canadian average at certain ages. We show mortality rates are even higher on reserve – up to five times the Canadian average. These relative mortality rates are higher than the relative mortality rates of African Americans and the Native Americans to non-Hispanics in the United States. We also estimate very high rates of institutionalization and homelessness, especially among men and as a result there are stark gender ratio imbalances among this population. We speculate that this gender imbalance may play a role in excess female mortality in addition to several other socioeconomic factors.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 10416

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Demographic Economics: General ; Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination ; Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination ; Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration ; Health and Economic Development ; Health and Inequality ; Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
• Subject: mortality ; First Nations ; Native American ; Status Indian ; homelessness ; institutionalization ; gender bias

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Akee, Randall K. Q. ; Feir, Donna
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2016

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/161039
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET