Cardiovascular diseases India: Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause of death in India, accounting for nearly 31% of all fatalities, according to the Report on Causes of Death: 2021–2023 released by the Sample Registration Survey under the Registrar General of India. Cardiovascular diseases are the dominant cause in those aged 30 and over, while intentional injuries (suicide) are the most common cause of death in the 15–29 age group.
The report finds non-communicable diseases are responsible for 56.7% of all deaths, while communicable, maternal, perinatal, and nutritional conditions make up 23.4%. During the COVID-affected 2020–2022 period, the shares were 55.7% and 24.0%, respectively.
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Beyond cardiovascular disease, the leading causes include respiratory infections (9.3%), malignant and other neoplasms (6.4%), respiratory diseases (5.7%), digestive diseases (5.3%), fever of unknown origin (4.9%), unintentional injuries other than motor vehicle accidents (3.7%), diabetes mellitus (3.5%) and genitourinary diseases (3.0%).
Overall, injuries account for 9.4% of deaths, and ill-defined causes comprise 10.5%, the majority occurring at ages 70 years and above.
The Sample Registration Survey cautions that some misclassification of causes cannot be ruled out, and results should be interpreted carefully. Despite this limitation, it says the findings enrich the understanding of the mortality situation in the country.
The analysis, based on direct sources, provides causes of death cross-classified by age, sex, residence and major zones, and examines the top ten causes alongside “special conditions” such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory infections and cancers.
(Source: Sample Registration Survey)
