Why Tamil Nadu’s men are dying younger
Data from Tamil Nadu reveals a significant mortality gap between men and women, with men dying at much higher rates between the ages of 15 and 64. Experts attribute this to a combination of lifestyle diseases, road accidents, and a lack of preventative health screenings for men.
Why it matters
The trend highlights a public health crisis that impacts family stability and economic productivity, necessitating a shift in gender-specific healthcare policy.
Far more men in Tamil Nadu are dying as compared to women. The disparity is widest among people aged 15 to 64, years when many are working, raising children and supporting ageing parents.In 2025, Tamil Nadu registered 401,860 male deaths and 291,347 female deaths — a difference of 110,513. The gap has remained above one lakh in the past three years: 1.10 lakh in 2023, 1.07 lakh in 2024 and 1.11 lakh in 2025.Nearly 86% of that gap, or 94,792 deaths, pertained to those in their prime.The pattern has persisted, experts say. A public health department analysis of civil registration system (CRS) data from 2018 to 2022, published in the medical journal by the directorate of public health, found male mortality higher than female mortality from age 15 onward in every district.
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