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India's Health Crisis: Non-communicable diseases surge.
22 Apr
Summary
- Cardiovascular and metabolic ailments doubled in a decade.
- Infections declined, but still affect half of all children.
- Out-of-pocket health expenses surged by 70%.
A recent nationwide survey indicates a dramatic increase in cardiovascular and metabolic ailments across India. In 2025, approximately 25.6% of individuals reported cardiovascular issues, and 24.2% experienced metabolic and endocrine conditions, compared to significantly lower percentages a decade prior. These non-communicable diseases are more common in those over 45, suggesting lifestyle factors play a key role.
Conversely, reported infections have decreased from 32% to 15% in the general population, although they remain prevalent among children up to 14. The survey also revealed that the number of Indians reporting illness in the past 15 days has nearly doubled since 2017-18, with women and older adults being more affected. This rise in illness coincides with a substantial 70% increase in out-of-pocket expenditure for hospitalizations, now averaging Rs 34,064.
Despite the growing health challenges, government-sponsored health insurance coverage has expanded significantly, now reaching around 47% of the rural population and 44% in urban areas, a marked improvement from previous years. Hospitalization rates remain moderate at 2.9 cases per 100 persons annually.
