Expectation of life at birth for India has dropped for the first time in 50 years, registering a decrease of 0.2 years in a year.
Life expectancy at birth has been estimated at 69.8 years between 2017 and 2021, compared to 2016-2020. For rural and urban areas, life expectancy has declined by 0.1 years and 0.3 years respectively for the same time period.
According to the Sample Registration System-based Abridged Life Tables 2017-21, “On an average, female life expectancy at birth is more than male life expectancy at birth by more than two years. Even at age 70 years, this difference is favourable towards females by about one year.”
Life expectation at birth was registered highest in Delhi at 73 years for males and Kerala for females at 77.9 years. The lowest was noted in Chhattisgarh with 62.8 years for males and 66.4 years for females.
“The maximum per annum average increase in life expectancy for males during the period 1970-75 to 2017-21 has been observed in Odisha and the minimum in Haryana. For females, the maximum annual increase has been recorded in Himachal Pradesh and Odisha and the minimum in Kerala,” the report stated.
The report was published by Registrar General of India (RGI), under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Three other reports — Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System (CRS) 2021, the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2021 and the Report on the Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) 2021 — were also published on May 7.
This decrease in life expectancy coincides with India registering an almost two million jump in deaths during the peak pandemic year 2021, government data has shown.
According to the Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System (CRS) 2021, the number of registered deaths increased from 8.1 million in 2020 to 10.2 million in 2021.
But the government has linked nearly 0.6 million of these deaths to COVID-19 in its report.
It stated, “In the age-group 25-34 years, the first two leading causes, Diseases of Circulatory System and Codes for Special Purposes: COVID 19 have contributed to 21.2 per cent and 15.6 per cent respectively.”
While in the age-group 35-44 years, the same two leading causes, have shares of 25.9 per cent and 20.3 per cent respectively.
The total registered deaths were estimated to increase by 26 per cent. Across 32 states and Union territories that reported higher deaths, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Jharkhand and Delhi have recorded significantly increased number of deaths registered in a year — from 2020 to 2021.
The increase in deaths and drop in life expectancy coincide with the peak pandemic years and contrast with the declining death rate the country has been documenting in previous decades.
However, the government report has attributed 17.3 per cent of these deaths (574,198) to COVID-19. Of these 160,618 deaths were reported in 2020 while 413,580 deaths occurred in 2021.
Leaving COVID-19 deaths aside, there will still be about 1.4 million excess deaths, but not directly associated to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, deaths owing to respiratory disease also spiked from 181,160 in 2020 to 305,191 in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Deaths due to diseases of the circulatory system also increased from 580,751 to 714,072 for the same timeframe.
Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical findings also increased marginally from 191,609 in 2020 to 232,430 in 2021.
Multiple studies show that COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 conditions cause several health issues including lung and heart abnormalities, increasing risks to heart attacks and lung diseases.
On the other hand, as per the SRS report, the death rate in the country increased from 6.0 in 2020 to 7.9 in 2021. This is contrary to the trend where the death rate in India has recorded dramatic decline from 14.9 in 1971 to 6 in 2020.
Death rate offers the closest estimate of morality and is measured as the number of deaths per thousand population in a given region and time period.
In 2021, the death rate in rural areas increased from 6.4 to 7.9, while in cities it increased from 5.1 to 6.6 between 2020 and 2021 respectively.
The birth rate also saw a decline at the all India level, dropping from 36.9 in 1971 to 19.3 in 2021.
The factor is a crude determinant of fertility of a population and crucial measure to understand population growth. Birth rate gives the number of live births per thousand population of a given region and year.
The birth rate was recorded to have shrunk by 11 per cent in the past decade — from 21.6 documented in 2012 to 19.3 in 2021. The corresponding decline in rural areas (from 23.1 to 20.9) is higher than in urban areas (from 17.4 to 15.9) respectively.
Meanwhile, the registered births have also reduced marginally by about 0.1 per cent — from 24.22 million to 24.2 million.
Almost all states have seen a decline in registration of births but 12 states — Jharkhand, Karnataka, Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu — have contributed highly to the decrease in registered births in 2021, compared to 2020.
Three states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal — have shown an increase in birth registration during 2020-2021.