Canada has been looking like a mighty fine place to live in the past few years. Not only was the country chosen as the ninth best place to be born in 2013, but five of our major cities were touted for their high quality of life in a recent index surveying the globe.

But one of the inevitabilities of life, of course, is death, and a new report on mortality rates released by the U.S.-based National Research Council and Institute of Medicine shows exactly why and how Canadians (and other nationalities) are dying each year. Using the World Health Organization's most recent statistics from 2011 for 16 of the wealthiest countries and taking the United States as the benchmark nation, the report puts certain diseases — like cancer and Alzheimer's — in stark numbers to demonstrate their effects.

In 2011, it was reported that cancer was the leading cause of death in Canada, and despite the number of deaths from the disease dropping in recent months, it still remains the biggest killer overall.

On the plus side, more Canadians are adjusting their lifestyle factors to prevent the disease, and helping their health for the other leading cause of death — cardiac disease — at the same time.

In the report, non-health related causes of death included traffic accidents, suicides and drownings, which did not have as large an impact on Canada as diseases and illnesses. Interestingly, our nation had the highest mortality rates for panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and lymphomas (a type of blood cancer).

But overall, Canada is better off than most. Out of 16 ranked countries, the country sits at 11th place in overall causes of all death, while the U.S., for example, is number one, followed by Denmark. Most notably, the United States was found, by a significant margin, to be the place where the most violent deaths occur.

How do Canada's causes of death rank against the rest of the world? Think there's any particular reason why we are where we are? Let us know in the comments below!

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• Diabetes

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 4.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: PORTUGAL</strong> 19.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 13.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Cardiovascular Disease

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 97.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: GERMANY</strong> 174.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 118.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Respiratory Diseases

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: FINLAND</strong> 12.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: UNITED KINGDOM</strong> 34.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 22.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Digestive Disease

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: AUSTRALIA</strong> 13 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: DENMARK</strong> 29.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 15.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Self-Inflicted Injuries

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: ITALY</strong> 4.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 19.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 9.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Violence

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 0.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: UNITED STATES</strong> 6.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 1.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Traffic Accidents

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 3.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: UNITED STATES</strong> 13.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 7.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Poisonings

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: AUSTRIA</strong> 0.18 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: FINLAND</strong> 13.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 2.0 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Drownings

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: UNITED KINGDOM</strong> 0.35 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 2.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 0.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• STDs (Excluding HIV)

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: NETHERLANDS</strong> 0.0097 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: NORWAY</strong> 0.05 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 0.01 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• HIV/AIDS

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 0.03 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: PORTUGAL</strong> 7.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 1.1 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Drug Use

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 0.002 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: AUSTRIA</strong> 2.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 1.1 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Alcohol Use

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 0.16 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: DENMARK</strong> 9.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 1.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Maternal Conditions Related To Pregnancy

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: SWITZERLAND</strong> 0.02 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: PORTUGAL</strong> 0.42 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 0.10 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Prenatal Deaths

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 1.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: UNITED STATES</strong> 7.1 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 5.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Nutritional Deficiencies

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: FINLAND</strong> 0.14 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: FRANCE</strong> 1.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 0.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Liver Cancer

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: NORWAY</strong> 2.0 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 11.1 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 2.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Breast Cancer

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: DENMARK</strong> 14.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 10.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Prostate Cancer

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 2.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: NORWAY</strong> 11.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 6.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Lymphomas (Blood Cancer)

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 4.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: CANADA</strong> 8.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Melanoma And Other Skin Cancers

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 0.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: AUSTRALIA</strong> 5.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 2.1 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Alzheimer's/Other Dementias

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 2.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: AUSTRALIA</strong> 34.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Multiple Sclerosis

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 0.04 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: NORWAY</strong> 1.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 0.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Parkinson Disease

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: JAPAN</strong> 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: FINLAND</strong> 3.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>WHERE CANADA STANDS:</strong> 2.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

• Panic Disorder

  <strong>LOWEST DEATH RATE: UNITED STATES</strong> 0.0001 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 <strong>HIGHEST DEATH RATE: CANADA</strong> 0.004 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008

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