Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 21/12/2023; Author: Tina Geč
The Slovenian news outlet Domovina published an infographic that misrepresented Canadian suicide statistics. While it appeared to present the suicide death rates among different age groups in Canada, the graphic misleadingly showed the number of suicides per 100,000 people instead, creating a skewed understanding of the actual age-related suicide rates.
In an article published on December 11, Domovina discussed recent changes to Canada’s laws regarding assisted suicide. The article included various statistics detailing the proportion of deaths in Canada attributable to suicide.
The article specifically highlighted that, among the 20-34 age group, 21.4% of male deaths and 6.8% of female deaths are due to suicide. For the 35-49 age group, these figures change to 25.9% for men and remain at 6.8% for women.
The article didn’t specify the source or the timeframe for the data presented. To verify the accuracy, Razkrinkavanje.si compared the data with official figures from Statistics Canada for 2022, as well as the average suicide death rates from 2018 to 2022.
According to Statistics Canada’s 2022 data, 10.6% of women and 13% of men in the 20-34 age group died by suicide. Looking at a broader five-year span, from 2018 to 2022, the rates were 6.1% for women and 11% for men..
Last year, the share of deaths by suicide in women aged 35-49 was 5.6%, compared with 9% in men. In 2018-2022, the share was 6.1% in women and 11% in men.
The article also featured an infographic titled “Suicide as cause of death in Canada by age group”. Although it credited Statistics Canada for the information, it didn’t clarify which year’s data was used.
In the 35-49 age group, according to 2022 statistics, suicides comprised 5.6% of all deaths among women and 9% among men. Over the five-year period, the rates were 6.1% for women and 11% for men.
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s report clarifies a significant discrepancy in the infographic. Contrary to what was implied, the graphic doesn’t actually represent the percentage of suicides among all causes of death. Instead, it shows the rate of suicides per 100,000 people for the year 2019. To better understand this, we’ve provided a side-by-side comparison of the two sets of data: the proportion of deaths by suicide and the rate of suicides per 100,000 population for 2019.
Razkrinkavanje has shared the findings with Domovina and will publish their response upon receipt.
The data published by Domovina in the infographic, along with their interpretation of it, are inaccurate.
