Most Deaths in India Go Uncertified, ICMR Study

India still lacks clear data on the causes of death for a majority of its population, a new study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has found.

Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the study highlights serious gaps in India’s death certification system, raising concerns about how health policies are designed and resources allocated. The researchers stressed that accurate and reliable cause-of-death data is crucial for identifying public health priorities and shaping effective interventions.

Despite accounting for nearly 18% of the global population, India continues to trail significantly in medically certified deaths. Data from the Office of the Registrar General of India shows that only 22.5% of deaths were medically certified in 2020. As a result, the precise cause of death was not officially recorded by a doctor in almost eight out of every ten cases across the country.