A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), in March 2022 suggests that maginalised, minority and disadvantaged communities of India have a lower life expectancy than upper-caste Hindus. The report, based on research done by experts at the Research Institute for Compassionate Economics, explains that Dalits, people belonging to the Scheduled Tribes and Muslims have varying but lower life expectancies than higher-caste Hindus, primarily due to discrimination, social exclusion and health disparities.
The study says that compared to upper-caste Hindus, Dalits have a life expectancy that is more than three years lower, STs have a life expectancy of over four years lower, and Muslims have a life expectancy of almost a year lower. The study elaborates that the comparatively lower gap between the life expectancies of Muslims and upper-caste Hindus is predominantly due to the fact that Muslim children have lower exposure to open defecation, lower rates of cervical cancers among Muslim women, lower consumption of alcohol and fewer suicides in the community.
The study also states that the differences in the life expectancies of Dalits and STs in comparison to upper-caste Hindus are “comparable to the Black-White gap in the US in absolute magnitude”. The data for the study came from India’s Annual Health Survey, 2010-2011, and focuses on nine states—which represent 48.5 per cent of India’s total population. These nine states are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In all nine states studied, the life expectancy of upper-caste Hindus was higher than the all-India life expectancy in 2010.
The researchers behind the study noted: “Economic status explains less than half of these gaps. These large disparities underscore parallels between diverse systems of discrimination akin to racism. They highlight the global significance of addressing social inequality in India.” An additional highlight of the study is the marginal difference noted in the life expectancies based on sex. The life expectancy of ST men was five years lower and ST women was four years lower than their upper-caste Hindu counterparts. There were no differences noted in the life expectancy between Dalit men and women.
“From a policy perspective, these findings suggest that population health interventions that explicitly challenge social disadvantages are essential because addressing economic inequality may not be sufficient,” the study concluded.
*Image used for representative purpose.