Cardiovascular diseases alone accounted for 32.1% of all deaths in 2022-2024

| Photo Credit: manassanant pamai

India’s youth mortality profile is shifting with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) being the cause of 60% of all deaths in the 2022-2024 reporting period, according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2024, released this month. This was an increase of 7.3 percentage points compared with the 2015-2017 reporting period, when NCDs were the cause of 52.8% of all deaths. The chart below shows the major causes for deaths in India over reporting periods from 2015-2017 onwards.Analysis showed that among the NCDs, cardiovascular diseases alone accounted for 32.1% of all deaths in 2022-2024, which is again an increase of five percentage points compared with 27.1% in 2015-2017. The combined share of communicable diseases, and maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions as the major cause of death in India has meanwhile come down from 22% in the 2015-2017 period to 19.7% in 2022-2024.Age-group-wise data presented in the Cause of Deaths in India: 2022-2024 report showed that while cardiovascular diseases accounted for 32.1% of all deaths caused by NCDs, they accounted for 37.3% in the 30-69 age group. Health experts note that heart-related illnesses are increasingly affecting adults in their 30s and 40s, which is a matter of concern as this age group forms a large part of the nation’s workforce.The findings assume significance as India is witnessing a decline in fertility rates. Several States are already below the replacement fertility level of 2.1 children per woman.In the 2022-2024 reporting period, while 69.3% of deaths happened in the 55-plus age group, those aged between 30 and 44 accounted for 19.5% of deaths, making premature deaths among younger adults an economic and social concern.Analysis of the data over the years showed notable differences between the rural and urban population and between men and women. NCDs were the cause of 64.8% of all deaths in urban areas while they accounted for only 58.8% of all deaths in rural areas. Similarly, NCDs accounted for 62.3% of all deaths among men and 56.9% among women. However, the trend of NCDs becoming the major cause of death is clearly visible even among the rural population and women. The chart below shows the share of deaths due to NCDs between rural and urban areas and men and women.After cardiovascular diseases, the top causes of death in the 2022-2024 reporting period included cancer and other neoplasms, respiratory diseases, digestive diseases and respiratory infections, each accounting for more than 5% of all deaths. The table below shows the top 10 causes of deaths among all age groups, and in the 15-29 and 30-69 age groups in IndiaThe report suggests that India is now experiencing an epidemiological transition similar to that seen in many middle- and high-income countries, where chronic illnesses dominate mortality trends. At the same time, infectious diseases continue to remain a challenge, creating what public health experts describe as a “double burden” of disease.Suicide remains the leading cause of death among the 15-29 age group (Table 1). Suicides accounted for 19% of deaths in this age group, compared with 16.3% in 2015-2017. The rise in suicides points to growing mental health pressures, including unemployment, academic stress, financial difficulties, and social isolation.The report also showed stark differences between the group of eight States — Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand — which were identified for special focus for the Government under its Empowered Action Group (EAG) along with Assam and other States. In EAG States and Assam, NCDs accounted for 53.9% of all deaths compared with 63.5% for other States. The chart below shows the share of deaths due to NCDs and communicable diseases between EAG States and Assam versus other StatesThe data for the charts were sourced from Sample Registration System - Statistical Reports and Causes of Deaths in India Reports. In the charts, EAG refers to empowered action group Published - May 28, 2026 07:00 am IST