India, Sept. 9 -- Deaths in India due to second-hand smoke increased nearly 50 per cent in 2023, compared to 1990, even as death rates improved by about 30 per cent, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

The estimates also suggest that while the population exposed to second-hand smoke increased from 375 million in 1990 to 444 million in 2026 - up by 18.4 per cent - age-standardised prevalence dropped from 43.2 per cent in 1990 to 30.6 per cent in 2023 in India.

Age-standardised prevalence is a statistical adjustment made to data to allow a fair comparison of prevalence across age groups.

An international team of researchers forming the 'Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 Second-hand smoke Collab...