Non-communicable diseases account for nearly two-thirds of the world’s total mortality and morbidity, led by ischaemic heart disease, stroke and diabetes, says the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) report launched at the World Health Summit, Berlin, and published in The Lancet.
In India, the causes of death are shifting from infectious diseases to NCDs. According to the report, while in 1990 diarrhoeal diseases were the leading cause of deaths, with the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) at 300.53 per lakh population, in 2023, ischaemic heart disease caused maximum deaths — ASMR rate at 127.82 per lakh population. Covid-19, the leading cause of deaths in 2021, plunged to the 20th place in 2023, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections and neonatal disorder.
Produced through rigorous scientific methods and a global network of more than 16,500 collaborators, the report delivers insights for policymakers, healthcare leaders and researchers.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder was the second leading cause of deaths in India in 2023 with ASMR rate at 99.25 per lakh, while the third was stroke with an ASMR rate of 92.88 per lakh in 2023.
In India, the all-cause ASMR per lakh population was 1,513.05 per lakh in 1990, which dropped to 871.09 in 2023. However, while the causes of death have shifted from infectious to NCDs, there has been a progress in life expectancy from 1990 to 2023. In India there has been a 13-year increase — life expectancy at birth for males, females and both genders combined was 58.46 in 1990 and 71.56 in 2023. For men, it was 58.12 in 1990 and now 70.24, while for women in 1990 it was 58.91 and 72.96 in 2023.
Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist at WHO, said that the state-level GBD study conducted by the ICMR and Public Health Foundation of India PHFI in collaboration with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation nearly a decade ago highlighted the epidemiological shift towards NCDs in India. “With the population living longer but experiencing higher levels of morbidity, the focus must shift towards healthy ageing. Preventing NCDs should be a priority,” Swaminathan said.
K Srinath Reddy, Chancellor, PHFI University of Public Health Sciences, said India has experienced a rapid health transition in the past four decades. “Delayed industrialisation and progressive urbanisation propelled the rise in NCDs, while globalisation provided the tailwind,” he said.
