Dying to Live: How Modern India Is Trading Progress for Disease
- Madhukar Dama
- Apr 5
- 4 min read
Some insights showing how lifestyle diseases are growing rapidly in India.
1. India Has Over 100 Million Diabetics — and Climbing Fast
India has 101 million diabetics and 136 million prediabetics, many of whom are undiagnosed.
Type 2 diabetes is increasingly seen in people as young as their 20s.
India is expected to have 134 million diabetics by 2045.
2. Childhood Obesity Has Doubled in a Decade
Urban schools report 1 in 5 children is overweight or obese.
India had the highest number of obese kids globally in 2021.
By 2050, 1 in 3 Indians may be obese.
3. Half of India’s Hypertensives Don’t Know They Have It
Over 220 million Indian adults are estimated to have hypertension.
Only 45% of them are aware of their condition.
Hypertension is now affecting college students and young professionals.
4. 65% of Urban Indians Don’t Get Enough Physical Activity
WHO says 1 in 4 Indians is physically inactive.
Urban sedentary jobs and transport habits worsen inactivity.
Inactivity is a key driver of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
5. Indians Eat 2X More Salt and Sugar Than Recommended
Daily salt intake is twice the WHO limit, raising BP risk.
Sugar consumption far exceeds safe limits due to sweets, tea, and junk food.
Ultra-processed food sales per capita are growing every year.
6. Heart Attacks in 30s and 40s Are No Longer Rare
Heart disease hits Indians 10 years earlier than Westerners.
Sudden cardiac arrests in the under-40 age group have doubled.
Lifestyle and genetic risks compound the problem.
7. 1 in 3 Indians Has Fatty Liver Without Alcohol
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects up to 38.6% of adults.
Children are also showing signs of liver damage from diet-related causes.
Many cases are asymptomatic and go undiagnosed until serious.
8. Breast Cancer Is Now the #1 Cancer Among Indian Women
Urban women are 3x more likely to get breast cancer than rural women.
Lifestyle factors like delayed childbirth, obesity, and poor diet are major triggers.
1 in 9 Indians is likely to develop cancer in their lifetime.
9. Mental Illness Affects 1 in 7 Indians
India has a huge burden of depression, anxiety, and stress disorders.
Suicide rates are at 21.1 per 100,000, higher than global average.
Work stress, urban isolation, and screen addiction are major contributors.
10. 30% of Indians Sleep Poorly — Most Don’t Know Why
Surveys show 93% of Indians experience sleep deprivation.
Blue light from phones, erratic work schedules, and stress drive insomnia.
Sleep disorders are rising in both young and elderly Indians.
11. 1 in 5 Indian Teens Tries Tobacco or Vapes
Nearly 9% of kids aged 13–15 use tobacco products.
Many start before age 10, often with gutkha or hookah.
The tobacco industry aggressively targets Indian youth.
12. Fat, Sugar, and Screen Time Are Making Kids Sick
35.4% of Indian children show signs of NAFLD (fatty liver).
Processed food, lack of outdoor play, and long screen time are culprits.
Lifestyle diseases now start before adulthood.
13. Women in India Are Gaining Weight Faster Than Men
52.6% of Indian women are physically inactive compared to 38.4% of men.
Obesity in women has nearly tripled in the past two decades.
PCOS, thyroid disorders, and metabolic syndrome are rising sharply.
14. Urban India Is Trading Infections for Infarctions
Infectious diseases are declining, but lifestyle diseases are exploding.
In cities, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for more than 60% of deaths.
The health system is struggling to adapt to this rapid transition.
15. 1 in 2 Urban Indians May Die of Heart-Related Causes
Studies show 50% of urban deaths are from cardiovascular issues.
Diet, inactivity, and stress are the leading drivers.
Many don’t seek help until after the first event (attack or stroke).
16. 80% of Health Costs in India Now Go to Lifestyle Diseases
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) consume most of India’s health budget.
These diseases affect productivity and push families into debt.
Prevention remains underfunded despite clear economic burden.
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the new gods
(in the style of Bukowski)
they used to die
under banyan trees,
with cracked heels
and full hearts.
now they drop
in air-conditioned cubicles
holding their phones
like rosaries,
tracking steps they never take.
a man lights a cigarette
at 3 a.m.
scrolls through dopamine dreams,
eats salt and sugar
like it’s communion.
a woman in a power suit
sweats out anxiety
in meetings where
nobody breathes.
she forgot
what hunger felt like
before the diet.
the children,
they glow blue
from the inside out.
fat livers,
flat minds,
scrolling to sleep.
this isn’t a war.
it’s a slow surrender.
to comfort,
to screens,
to gods with brand names.
and the hospitals—
they keep building more.
cathedrals
for the sick
who prayed to progress
and got pain
instead.
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