India now has the second-highest number of people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the world, according to a new study published in The Lancet. The report reveals that in 2023, 138 million Indians were affected by CKD, second only to China’s 152 million.

The global study, led by researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, analysed health data from 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2023. It found that CKD was the ninth-leading cause of death worldwide, claiming nearly 15 lakh lives last year alone.

CKD emerging as a global health crisis

The highest rates of chronic kidney disease were seen in North Africa and the Middle East (18 per cent each), followed by South Asia (16 per cent) and Sub-Saharan Afric

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