Risk Of Dying From Chronic Disease Higher For Indian Women Than Men: Lancet Study

Last Updated:September 11, 2025, 05:22 IST

Data shows that chances of women dying from a non-communicable disease between birth and the age of 80 years were 46.7% in 2001. By 2019, the probability had increased to 48.7%

In the analysis, Imperial researchers worked with the WHO and other collaborators to estimate the risk of dying from chronic diseases. (Representational image)

The likelihood of dying from chronic disease grew from 2010 to 2019 for both women and men in India, according to the latest Lancet study on global deaths due to chronic diseases.

The analysis, led by researchers at Imperial College London—and funded by the UK Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the NCD Alliance—tracks global progress in reducing deaths from chronic or “non-communicable" diseases (NCDs) in 185 countries from 2010 to 2019.

Situation in India

It found that in India, “the picture was worse for women, who had a greater increase in risk than men".

Why? The study explained that deaths from most causes of chronic disease increased, with “heart disease and diabetes contributing heavily".

The data shows that the chances of women dying from a non-communicable disease between birth and the age of 80 years were 46.7 per cent in 2001. By 2019, the probability had increased to 48.7 per cent. Similarly, for men, the chances went up from 56 per cent to 57.9 per cent.

Professor Majid Ezzati from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London and senior author of the report told News18 in an emailed response, “India’s economic and technological advances provide an opportunity to rapidly scale up effective healthcare interventions to its population and reverse the rise in NCDs."

The report claims to be the most comprehensive assessment of global progress in reducing NCD mortality at the national level, benchmarking countries against their own previous performance as well as against peer countries in their region.

Globally, it was found that mortality from chronic diseases decreased in 80 per cent of countries during the decade leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic (2010-2019). However, progress slowed, with 60 per cent of countries performing worse than in the preceding decade.

Among high-income industrialised countries, Denmark, South Korea, and Singapore showed some of the greatest reductions, while the United States of America and Germany were among the worst performers, experiencing the smallest decreases in mortality risk over 2010-2019.

According to the study’s authors, globally, death rates from diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke declined in four out of five countries in the decade leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic, but progress slowed compared to the previous decade.

It found that while chronic disease deaths declined for most countries over the period, in almost two-thirds (60 per cent) of countries the rate of decline was slower than in the preceding decade.

Findings at the global level

In most countries, the analysis found, reductions in deaths from cardiovascular diseases (including heart attacks and strokes) were the greatest contributors to declining chronic disease mortality. Reductions in deaths from cancers such as stomach, colorectal, cervical, breast, lung, and prostate also contributed to the overall decline.

“However, increases in deaths from dementia, other neuropsychiatric conditions (including alcohol use disorder), and some other cancers (like pancreatic and liver), counteracted gains," it said.

The authors caution that while the recent worldwide decline in mortality from these conditions is a success story, the slowdown shows an urgent need to further roll out policies and healthcare programmes that drove rapid improvements in the early 2000s—including access to preventive medications, cancer screening for early detection, and treatment and support services for both long-term conditions like diabetes and acute events like stroke or heart attack.

“Later this month, the report’s authors will join leading experts from around the world in New York at UNGA 80 to discuss the implications of their findings in the lead up to the United Nations’ Fourth High-Level meeting on NCDs," said the press release issued by Imperial College London.

“Our latest report shows that while the majority of countries around the world are making progress to reduce the risk of dying from chronic disease, compared to the previous decade, progress has slowed, stalled or even reversed in some nations," said Professor Majid Ezzati in the release. “In many countries, effective healthcare programmes like medications for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, as well as timely cancer screening and heart attack treatment, may not be reaching the people who need them, and they are being left out of the health system."

In the analysis, Imperial researchers worked with the WHO and other collaborators to estimate the risk of dying from chronic diseases.

They found that chronic disease mortality decreased in all high-income countries in Europe, North America, and the Pacific over the period. Globally, Qatar, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan experienced the greatest declines in mortality for both men and women. “The greatest increases over the period were seen in South Sudan, Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for women, while the largest increases for men were seen in Cabo Verde, Honduras and Jamaica."

However, the authors warn that data is scarce in many of these countries, and hence the trends should be interpreted with caution. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden saw some of the greatest declines in chronic disease mortality in the wealthy industrialised world. By contrast, Germany performed poorly, with the second-smallest decline in chronic disease mortality of any high-income industrialised country after the United States of America.

Himani Chandna

Himani Chandna, Associate Editor at CNN News18, specialises in healthcare and pharmaceuticals. With firsthand insights into India's COVID-19 battle, she brings a seasoned perspective. She is particularly pass...Read More

Himani Chandna, Associate Editor at CNN News18, specialises in healthcare and pharmaceuticals. With firsthand insights into India's COVID-19 battle, she brings a seasoned perspective. She is particularly pass...

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