A boat load of gifts makes his way out to ships anchored in Vancouver's outer harbour December 24, 2012 delivering Christmas gifts to Seafarers.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
B.C.'s most-recent vital-statistics report says residents of this province continue to live longer than anywhere else in Canada, although cancer remains the leading cause of death.
The 140th edition of the report by the Vital Statistics Agency contains information about births, deaths and marriages for 2011 and helps the provincial government develop plans for health research and education.
It says life expectancy climbed to 82 years, up from 81.7 years, but the oldest person to die in 2011 lived to be 112 years old.
Cancer remains the leading cause of death, but the report says deaths due to HIV fell to 59 from 253 in 1996.
While the total number of deaths rose to 31,776, the province's population grew naturally by 12,215 people, without taking migration into consideration.
The report says the most popular names selected for boys were Liam, Ethan, Mason, Lucas and Benjamin, but for girls the names Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Ava and Chloe won out.