- Life expectancy in India saw significant and unequal declines during the COVID-19 pandemic, with mortality 17% higher in 2020 compared to 2019, resulting in 1.19 million excess deaths.
- The study revealed that younger age groups, women, and marginalized social groups were most affected by the pandemic, with marginalized groups experiencing greater life expectancy declines than the most privileged social groups.
- Marginalized caste and religious groups, such as Muslims and Scheduled Tribes, faced larger life expectancy declines than high caste Hindu groups, exacerbating existing disparities.
- Females in India experienced larger life expectancy declines than males across all social groups, likely due to gender inequalities in healthcare and resource allocation.
- The study emphasizes the importance of addressing underlying social determinants of health to mitigate the impact of future health crises and highlights the role of pandemics in exacerbating existing disparities in mortality.
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Public Health & Prevention, Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine, Critical Care