Sudden deaths are defined as unexpected deaths that are instantaneous or occur within minutes from any cause other than violence
Non-heart attack sudden deaths among Indian working-age men have more than doubled since 2017, jumping from 9,127 to 19,088, about 52 deaths every day on average, up from 25 earlier.
India is witnessing a sharp rise in sudden deaths, particularly among men aged 30-60. The country recorded 76,024 sudden deaths in 2024, the highest in at least a decade. Of the 76,024 sudden deaths recorded in 2024, 48,999 were among people aged 30-60, with men accounting for 42,688 of those deathsтАФmore than 8 in 10 such fatalities. That translates to about 120 working-age male sudden deaths every day, up from 64 in 2017 when such deaths stood at 23,396.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), sudden deaths in 2024 rose 20 per cent from 63,609 in 2023 and were up 77 per cent from 42,999 in 2017.
Sudden deaths are defined as unexpected deaths that are instantaneous or occur within minutes from any cause other than violence. Two broader categories are listed in NCRBтАЩs тАШAccidental Deaths and Suicides in IndiaтАЩтАФтАШheart attackтАЩ deaths and тАШothersтАЩ.
Non-heart attack sudden deaths among Indian working-age men have more than doubled since 2017, jumping from 9,127 to 19,088, about 52 deaths every day on average, up from 25 earlier.
Heart attack-related sudden deaths in the same age group also climbed from 14,011 to 23,600, making up 61.1 per cent of all heart attack fatalities in India. Men aged 45-60 alone accounted for 12,920 heart attack deaths in 2024, one-third of the national total.
The rise has also altered IndiaтАЩs accidental death profile. In 2017, sudden deaths accounted for 11 per cent of all accidental fatalities, far behind traffic accidents at 45.1 per cent. By 2024, sudden deaths made up 16.5 per cent of all accidental deaths, while traffic accidentsтАЩ share slipped to 43.4 per cent, NCRB data shows.
Heart attack-related deaths rose 66 per cent from 23,246 in 2017 to 38,599 in 2024, while non-heart attack sudden deaths jumped by 90 per cent during the same periodтАФfrom 19,753 to 37,425, steadily reducing heart attacksтАЩ share in total sudden deaths.
The NCRB does not provide a detailed medical breakdown of deaths classified under тАЬother” sudden deaths, making it difficult to identify the exact drivers behind the rise.
Post 2020, India has seen a jump in sudden deaths that triggered speculation around Covid-19 vaccines. However, the Union Health Ministry stated that studies by ICMR and NCDC found no direct link between Covid-19 vaccination and sudden deaths, and cited genetics, lifestyle factors, pre-existing illnesses and post-Covid complications as possible contributors.
Men Dominated Sudden Deaths Across Age Groups
In 2024, men accounted for 63,493 (84 per cent) of the total sudden deaths while women accounted for 12,521 (16.5 per cent) such deaths. Ten transgender persons were reported among sudden death victims, including five from heart attack deaths.
A similar pattern emerged in heart attack deaths, with men accounting for 86 per cent of the total deaths at 33,352, followed by women at 5,242 (13.6 per cent).
In the non-heart attack sudden deaths, 30,141 were men and 7,279 were women, sharing an 80 per cent vs 20 per cent ratio.
According to NCRB data analysed by News18, women account for a larger share of non-heart attack sudden deaths (20 per cent) than heart attack deaths (13.6 per cent).
The analysis of the data also shows that as the age grows, the share of men in total sudden deaths also rises. Men accounted for nearly six in 10 sudden deaths among children below 14, but that rose to nearly nine in 10 once the age bracket crossed 30 years.
Maharashtra Leading
Maharashtra has been the biggest contributor throughout. MaharashtraтАЩs share in IndiaтАЩs sudden deaths rose from 26 per cent in 2015 to nearly one-third by 2017. Maharashtra accounted for nearly 40 per cent of IndiaтАЩs heart attack deaths and 28 per cent of non-heart attack sudden deaths in 2024.
In 2015, the state reported 9,205 cases of sudden deaths that increased to 14,538 in 2017 before touching 25,421 in 2024.
A total of 10,547 non-heart attack sudden deaths were registered in Maharashtra in 2024, up from 1,470 in 2015 and 5,229 in 2017. Heart attack deaths rose from 7,735 in 2015 to 9,295 in 2017 and 14,874 in 2024.
When compared to Maharashtra, which registered a 75 per cent jump in the sudden death cases between 2017 and 2024, KeralaтАЩs growth was nearly 175 per cent during the period.
Post-2019, Kerala has emerged as the second-biggest contributor, a spot that was with Karnataka in 2017 and 2018. Between 2017 and 2024, the cases of sudden deaths in Kerala jumped from 3,246 to 8,873. In 2015, the state reported 2,549 cases of sudden deaths.
In the non-heart attack sudden deaths, Kerala has seen nearly 3.5 times jump since 2017тАФfrom 1,169 to 3,858. The heart attack deaths have increased from 2,076 to 5,015 during the same period.
In 2024, Maharashtra (25,421), Kerala (8,873), Karnataka (7,842) and Tamil Nadu (4,669) together accounted for nearly 62 per cent (46,805) of IndiaтАЩs sudden deaths.
Nearly 68 per cent of IndiaтАЩs non-heart attack sudden deaths were concentrated in just five states: Maharashtra (10,547), Karnataka (5,274), Kerala (3,858), Tamil Nadu (3,063) and Uttar Pradesh (2,624).
More than 72 per cent of IndiaтАЩs heart attack deaths were concentrated in just five states: Maharashtra (14,874), Kerala (5,015), Gujarat (3,253), Karnataka (2,568) and Madhya Pradesh (2,115).
While heart attacks remain the biggest recorded cause of sudden deaths, the faster rise is now coming from the тАЬother” category, deaths for which NCRB offers no detailed medical breakdown. As sudden deaths become a larger share of IndiaтАЩs accidental fatalities, the absence of granular cause-wise data leaves a growing public health blind spot.
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