Passive Smoking Deaths in India Surge by 50 Percent Since 1990

A Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 published in The Lancet Public Health reveals that annual passive smoking deaths in India rose to 325,600 in 2023, up from 217,700 in 1990.

The study shows that 444 million Indians were exposed to second-hand smoke in 2023, even though India's age-standardised exposure prevalence fell from 43.2% in 1990 to 30.6% in 2023.

Globally, second-hand smoke exposed 2.71 billion people, including 767 million children, and caused 1.66 million deaths in 2023, with ischaemic heart disease and lower respiratory infections being the leading contributors.