For the first time in almost five decades, India’s life expectancy has taken a step backwards—albeit a small one—reflecting the staggering human toll of the Covid pandemic.
According to the most recent health statistics, life expectancy at birth in India, which had risen steadily from around 49.7 years in the early 1970s to 70 years in the 2016–2020 period, slipped slightly to 69.8 years during 2017–2021.
On paper, a 0.2-year drop might not sound dramatic. But in demographic terms, it’s a red flag—particularly for a country that has consistently pushed up life expectancy year after year for nearly half a century.
The dip comes alongside an unprecedented surge in deaths during the pandemic years, especially 2021, when India was hit hard by the Delta wave. That year alone, the number of registered deaths shot up to over 10.2 million—a nearly 26% jump over the previous year.
To put it in perspective, India had been registering between 5 and 6 million deaths annually over the past two decades. Even in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, the death count had already increased by over 6% compared to 2019.
This sudden spike overwhelmed civil registration systems across the country, triggering questions about the extent of underreported deaths, particularly in rural and remote regions.
Among the 32 states and Union territories that reported higher deaths between 2020 and 2021, the worst-hit were Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Jharkhand, and Delhi.
While each state faced its own unique challenges, the common thread was clear: the Delta wave and pandemic-related disruptions strained healthcare infrastructure across the board.
If there’s one number that captures the pandemic’s impact most starkly, it’s this: Covid-related deaths jumped from 160,618 in 2020 to 413,580 in 2021. That’s a 157.5% rise in just a year.
This category saw the highest percentage increase among all causes of death. It’s also worth noting that many experts have argued the actual toll could be much higher, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Apart from direct Covid deaths, there was a significant surge in deaths linked to respiratory problems—likely worsened by the virus and existing issues like pollution. Respiratory disease-related deaths rose by 68.5%, from 181,160 to 305,191.
Heart-related deaths also went up, with circulatory system diseases killing 714,072 people in 2021, compared to 580,751 the year before—a 22.9% rise.
Deaths from infectious and parasitic diseases increased by 14.3%, showing how the pandemic may have affected people with weakened immunity or limited access to treatment.
Not all causes of death saw sharp increases. Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases rose by just 2%, and injury and poisoning deaths went up by a marginal 2.4%.
Interestingly, deaths due to neoplasms (including cancers) and certain perinatal conditions (health issues around childbirth) actually fell—by 5.5% and 3.2% respectively.
