Burden of Diseases and Epidemiological Transition Status at the National and Sub-National Level in India: A Gender Perspective Contemporary Study

Mahadevrao Bramhankar, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Murali Dhar, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Our study analyzed India's disease-burden and epidemiological transition in the contemporary period from age-gender perspective, focusing on gender and state differences using Vital Statistics, Census, and Cause of Death Reports data. We categorized over 200 diseases into five groups: INMPDs, NCDs, Injuries, Ill-defined, and COVID-19, estimating Causes of Death, YLL, YLD, and DALYs. The Epidemiological Transition Ratio (ETR), defined as the ratio of DALYs from INMPDs to NCDs, revealed that India is in a high-middle transition state, with 36 DALYs of INMPD per 100 DALYs of NCDs. NCDs were predominant, causing 60% of deaths, 51% of YLLs (98.7 million), 71% of YLDs (79 million), and 58% of DALYs (177 million). Other INMPDs, Injuries, COVID-19, and other diseases contributed 5-20% to these measures. Age-wise, younger populations were more affected by INMPDs, while older populations were more impacted by NCDs. Males exhibited higher YLLs and DALYs, whereas females had higher YLDs. Leading causes of health burden included cardiovascular diseases, maternal-neonatal disorders, chronic respiratory diseases, and infectious diseases, with top individual causes being diabetes, COVID-19, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and tuberculosis. ETR varied by state, from Kerala’s lowest (7) to Uttar Pradesh’s highest (90).Our study highlights the shift towards chronic diseases and the need for tailored, region-specific health strategies, especially in underserved populations.

Keywords: Mortality and Longevity, Health and Morbidity, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Data and Methods

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