1.3 lakh people died due to hepatitis; India among top 10 countries with two-thirds of world's disease burden

Viral hepatitis has become the second leading infectious cause of death globally. According to the latest 2024 global hepatitis report from the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.3 million people are expected to die in 2022, the same number as the top infectious killer, tuberculosis.

WHO data shows that the estimated number of deaths caused by viral hepatitis has increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83 percent were caused by hepatitis B and 17 percent by hepatitis C. Every day 3500 people are dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infection.

According to the latest estimates from the Global Health Agency, 254 million people will be living with hepatitis B and 50 million people with hepatitis C in 2022. Half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infection is in people aged 30–54 years, accounting for 12% of the population. Children under 18 years of age. 58 percent of all cases are men.