India
Leading cause: Respiratory · 71% plant-based · 70.1 yr life expectancy · UHC 69/100
What People Eat
PURE study: plant-based states in India show 40% lower CVD vs. meat-heavy states. Vegetarian tradition of 400M+ people is measurably protective.
Disease Burden
Leading cause of death: Respiratory · 128 / 100k
Bars show each rate against the global range; the tick marks the world median.
India's mortality is led by respiratory disease (128/100k), driven heavily by air pollution and indoor smoke, with heart disease (109/100k), kidney disease, and diabetes also high. The PURE study found plant-based Indian states had 40% lower CVD than meat-heavy ones, but low health spending and air quality cap the gains.
Healthcare System
Sources: WHO UHC Service Coverage Index (SDG 3.8.1) & WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. Latest available year.
What Could Improve
- Tackle air pollution and household smoke behind the leading respiratory burden, a public-health, not purely dietary, priority.
- Build on the protective vegetarian tradition while cutting the refined carbohydrates and sugar driving rising diabetes.
- Expand basic healthcare access and hypertension/diabetes screening, currently very limited.
Explore the evidence: Respiratory
PURE Study · Yusuf et al., 2018 · 27-country, 135,000 participants
→ Plant-based states: 40% less CVD