Delhi records over 9,200 respiratory illness deaths in 2024 amid persistent air pollution

More than 9,200 people died due to respiratory illnesses in Delhi in 2024, marking a rise from 8,800 deaths recorded the previous year, while government data released on Thursday indicated a broader increase in overall mortality in the national capital.

According to figures cited by PTI, the total number of deaths in Delhi rose to over 1.39 lakh in 2024 from 1.32 lakh in 2023, even as the number of registered births declined, with about 3.06 lakh births recorded during the year, which was 8,628 fewer than the previous year.

The data showed that respiratory illnesses, including asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer and tuberculosis, continued to contribute significantly to mortality, although cardiovascular diseases emerged as the leading cause of death, accounting for more than 21,200 fatalities in 2024.

This marked a sharp increase from 2023, when more than 15,700 people had died due to cardiovascular conditions such as coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension and heart failure.

Infectious and parasitic diseases caused by bacterial and viral spread were identified as the second leading cause of death, with around 16,000 fatalities reported in 2024, although this represented a decline compared to the 20,781 deaths recorded under the same category in 2023.

Despite the rise in overall deaths, the infant mortality rate in the national capital showed marginal improvement, as it fell to 22.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024 from 23.6 in the previous year, indicating a slight reduction in the probability of children dying before reaching the age of one.

The figures, released by the Delhi government and reported by multiple news agencies, pointed to contrasting trends in public health, as gains in infant survival coincided with rising deaths linked to chronic and lifestyle-related illnesses.