In 2023, the number of deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in India was ****. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by *****, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in India was reported at 6.611 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Death rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

The statistic shows the adult mortality rate in India from 2013 to 2023, by gender. According to the source, the adult mortality rate is the probability of dying between the ages of 15 and 60 - that is, the probability of a 15-year-old dying before reaching age 60, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year between those ages. In 2023, the mortality rate for women was at ****** per 1,000 female adults, while the mortality rate for men was at ****** per 1,000 male adults in India.

India Vital Statistics: Death Rate: per 1000 Population data was reported at 6.000 NA in 2020. This stayed constant from the previous number of 6.000 NA for 2019. India Vital Statistics: Death Rate: per 1000 Population data is updated yearly, averaging 9.000 NA from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2020, with 51 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.900 NA in 1972 and a record low of 6.000 NA in 2020. India Vital Statistics: Death Rate: per 1000 Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.GAH001: Vital Statistics.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in India was at about 24.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, a significant decrease from previous years. Infant mortality as an indicatorThe infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births. This rate is an important key indicator for a country’s health and standard of living; a low infant mortality rate indicates a high standard of healthcare. Causes of infant mortality include premature birth, sepsis or meningitis, sudden infant death syndrome, and pneumonia. Globally, the infant mortality rate has shrunk from 63 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 27 since 1990 and is forecast to drop to 8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births by the year 2100. India’s rural problemWith 32 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, India is neither among the countries with the highest nor among those with the lowest infant mortality rate. Its decrease indicates an increase in medical care and hygiene, as well as a decrease in female infanticide. Increasing life expectancy at birth is another indicator that shows that the living conditions of the Indian population are improving. Still, India’s inhabitants predominantly live in rural areas, where standards of living as well as access to medical care and hygiene are traditionally lower and more complicated than in cities. Public health programs are thus put in place by the government to ensure further improvement.

Mortality rate, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births) in India was reported at 27.8 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Mortality rate, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

India: Death rate, per 1000 people: The latest value from 2023 is 6.61 deaths per 1000 people, an increase from 6.58 deaths per 1000 people in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 7.70 deaths per 1000 people, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for India from 1960 to 2023 is 11.58 deaths per 1000 people. The minimum value, 6.58 deaths per 1000 people, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 19.42 deaths per 1000 people was recorded in 1960.

India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 28.000 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 30.000 NA for 2019. India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 73.000 NA from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2020, with 50 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 140.000 NA in 1975 and a record low of 28.000 NA in 2020. India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.GAH001: Vital Statistics.

In 2020, the state of Kerala, with 7.1 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants, had the highest urban death rate. It was followed by Odisha and Chhattisgarh . On the contrary, the region of Delhi had the lowest urban deaths during the same period. Death rates for India between 2004 and 2020 can be found here.

The death rate, also known as the mortality rate, measures the frequency of deaths within a specific population over a defined period, typically expressed as the number of deaths per 1,000 or 100,000 individuals annually. It is a fundamental demographic indicator that helps assess population health, socioeconomic conditions, and the effectiveness of public health interventions. Various factors influence the death rate, including access to healthcare, nutrition, socioeconomic status, environmental quality, and lifestyle habits. Developed nations often report lower death rates due to advanced healthcare systems, higher standards of living, and effective disease prevention programs. Conversely, developing countries may face higher death rates due to limited healthcare access, infectious diseases, malnutrition, and lower living standards. By analyzing death rate trends, researchers can identify health disparities, evaluate the impact of policy changes, and guide interventions to improve life expectancy and quality of life across different populations.

Female child mortality rate of India declined by 4.79% from 29.2 deaths per thousand live births in 2022 to 27.8 deaths per thousand live births in 2023. Since the 5.90% slump in 2013, female child mortality rate plummeted by 45.49% in 2023. Child mortality rate is the probability of dying between the exact ages of one and five, if subject to current age-specific mortality rates. The probability is expressed as a rate per 1,000.

UNICEF's country profile for India, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

Female adult mortality rate of India reduced by 2.81% from 125.5 deaths per 1,000 female adults in 2022 to 122.0 deaths per 1,000 female adults in 2023. Since the 32.33% jump in 2021, female adult mortality rate plummeted by 33.86% in 2023. Adult mortality rate is the probability of dying between the ages of 15 and 60--that is, the probability of a 15-year-old dying before reaching age 60, if subject to current age-specific mortality rates between those ages.

In 2020, the state of Chhattisgarh, with 31 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, recorded the highest urban infant mortality rate in India. Other regions with high mortality rates included Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. On the contrary, Kerala recorded the lowest figures for the category during the same period.

Mortality rate, adult, male (per 1,000 male adults) in India was reported at 178 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Mortality rate, adult, male (per 1,000 male adults) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

In 2020, the state of Chhattisgarh had the highest death rate, with 8.4 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in the rural areas, followed by states of Punjab and Odisha. Among the larger states, the national capital had the lowest rural death rate that year. Death rates for India between 2004 and 2020 can be found here.

This statistic shows the 20 countries* with the highest infant mortality rate in 2024. An estimated 101.3 infants per 1,000 live births died in the first year of life in Afghanistan in 2024. Infant and child mortality Infant mortality usually refers to the death of children younger than one year. Child mortality, which is often used synonymously with infant mortality, is the death of children younger than five. Among the main causes are pneumonia, diarrhea – which causes dehydration – and infections in newborns, with malnutrition also posing a severe problem. As can be seen above, most countries with a high infant mortality rate are developing countries or emerging countries, most of which are located in Africa. Good health care and hygiene are crucial in reducing child mortality; among the countries with the lowest infant mortality rate are exclusively developed countries, whose inhabitants usually have access to clean water and comprehensive health care. Access to vaccinations, antibiotics and a balanced nutrition also help reducing child mortality in these regions. In some countries, infants are killed if they turn out to be of a certain gender. India, for example, is known as a country where a lot of girls are aborted or killed right after birth, as they are considered to be too expensive for poorer families, who traditionally have to pay a costly dowry on the girl’s wedding day. Interestingly, the global mortality rate among boys is higher than that for girls, which could be due to the fact that more male infants are actually born than female ones. Other theories include a stronger immune system in girls, or more premature births among boys.

In 2020, the infant mortality rate in the state of Kerala in India was about *** deaths per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality is measured by the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births.

India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: Ladakh data was reported at 16.000 NA in 2020. India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: Ladakh data is updated yearly, averaging 16.000 NA from Dec 2020 (Median) to 2020, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.000 NA in 2020 and a record low of 16.000 NA in 2020. India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: Ladakh data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH005: Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: by States.

Based on a comparison of coronavirus deaths in 210 countries relative to their population, Peru had the most losses to COVID-19 up until July 13, 2022. As of the same date, the virus had infected over 557.8 million people worldwide, and the number of deaths had totaled more than 6.3 million. Note, however, that COVID-19 test rates can vary per country. Additionally, big differences show up between countries when combining the number of deaths against confirmed COVID-19 cases. The source seemingly does not differentiate between "the Wuhan strain" (2019-nCOV) of COVID-19, "the Kent mutation" (B.1.1.7) that appeared in the UK in late 2020, the 2021 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) from India or the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) from South Africa.

The difficulties of death figures

This table aims to provide a complete picture on the topic, but it very much relies on data that has become more difficult to compare. As the coronavirus pandemic developed across the world, countries already used different methods to count fatalities, and they sometimes changed them during the course of the pandemic. On April 16, for example, the Chinese city of Wuhan added a 50 percent increase in their death figures to account for community deaths. These deaths occurred outside of hospitals and went unaccounted for so far. The state of New York did something similar two days before, revising their figures with 3,700 new deaths as they started to include “assumed” coronavirus victims. The United Kingdom started counting deaths in care homes and private households on April 29, adjusting their number with about 5,000 new deaths (which were corrected lowered again by the same amount on August 18). This makes an already difficult comparison even more difficult. Belgium, for example, counts suspected coronavirus deaths in their figures, whereas other countries have not done that (yet). This means two things. First, it could have a big impact on both current as well as future figures. On April 16 already, UK health experts stated that if their numbers were corrected for community deaths like in Wuhan, the UK number would change from 205 to “above 300”. This is exactly what happened two weeks later. Second, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly which countries already have “revised” numbers (like Belgium, Wuhan or New York) and which ones do not. One work-around could be to look at (freely accessible) timelines that track the reported daily increase of deaths in certain countries. Several of these are available on our platform, such as for Belgium, Italy and Sweden. A sudden large increase might be an indicator that the domestic sources changed their methodology.

Where are these numbers coming from?

The numbers shown here were collected by Johns Hopkins University, a source that manually checks the data with domestic health authorities. For the majority of countries, this is from national authorities. In some cases, like China, the United States, Canada or Australia, city reports or other various state authorities were consulted. In this statistic, these separately reported numbers were put together. For more information or other freely accessible content, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.