WHO Report Finds India On Track to Reduce Child Deaths, Faces Rising Lifestyle and Antibiotic Risks
SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institutions: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare | NITI Aayog
The World Health Organization’s 2025 South-East Asia Regional Report finds that India is steadily advancing on several health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3, 6, 10, 11). Neonatal mortality has fallen 44 % since 2000 — from 29 to 16 deaths per 1 000 live births — placing India on track to meet the SDG target of ≤ 12 by 2030
India’s life expectancy is now 69.0 years for women and 65.8 years for men, but healthy life expectancy—years lived in good health—shows only a small gender gap of 0.4 years, suggesting limited improvement in disease-free living, underscoring SDG 3’s challenge of extending quality as well as quantity of life.
The report notes strong gains in disease control: tuberculosis incidence fell from 322 to 195 per 100 000 population since 2000, and malaria incidence dropped from 20 to 1.5 cases per 1 000 people at risk.
However, India remains off-track on SDG 3.4, as lifestyle diseases are now a bigger threat: the chance of dying early (ages 30-70) from major NCDs—heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or lung disease—remains 17 %, and the suicide rate is around 22 per 100 000.
The report also flags antimicrobial resistance, with over 75 % of E. coli infections in India resistant to key antibiotics, warning of harder-to-treat infections.
India’s health success story is shifting, from fighting infections to managing chronic and antibiotic-resistant diseases. Policy priorities now include primary-care access, antibiotic stewardship, and UHC-linked financing to protect long-term health gains.
Follow the full report here: WHO (2025) – Monitoring Progress on Universal Health Coverage and the Health-Related SDGs: South-East Asia Update