Half of India now covered by health insurance, institutional births near universal: Govt survey

Nearly half of India’s population is now covered under some form of health insurance, while institutional deliveries have reached near-universal levels, according to a government survey released on Monday.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), in its latest report titled “Household Social Consumption: Health”, said health insurance coverage has expanded sharply from 2017–18 levels, with government-backed schemes driving most of the enrollment.

The survey, conducted as part of the National Sample Survey’s 80th round, found that around 47% of the rural population and 44% of the urban population were covered by some form of health insurance in 2025, up from 14% and 19%, respectively, in the previous survey.

Near-universal institutional deliveries

The survey also highlighted that nearly all childbirths—about 96%—took place in healthcare institutions over the past year.

Institutional deliveries stood at 95.6% in rural areas and 97.8% in urban areas.

“Nearly universal institutional deliveries were reported,” the ministry said.

Access to ante-natal care was almost universal at 98%, while post-natal care coverage exceeded 90% in both rural and urban areas.

At the same time, the data pointed out that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes are rising, even as infectious diseases declined compared to 2017–18 levels.

About 13.1% of individuals reported suffering from ailments during a 15-day reference period in 2025, up from 7.5% in the previous survey. The proportion was higher in urban areas (14.9%) than in rural areas (12.2%).

Elderly bear higher disease burden

The elderly (60 years and above) reported the highest incidence of illness at 43.9%, followed by those aged 45–59 years (22.5%). Among children aged 0–4 years, 9.9% reported ailments.

Infectious and respiratory diseases were most common among children and adolescents, while cardiovascular and metabolic conditions dominated among those above 30 years.

Hospitalisation rates stood at 2.9% over a 365-day period, with higher incidence in urban areas (3.2%) compared to rural areas (2.7%). The rate was highest among the elderly at 8.1%.

Public healthcare remains key

The survey showed that public healthcare facilities continue to provide low-cost or free treatment for a large section of the population.

The average out-of-pocket expenditure per hospitalisation (excluding childbirth) was estimated at ₹34,064, while the median expenditure was ₹11,285. However, in public hospitals, the average expenditure was significantly lower at ₹6,631, with half of the cases involving spending of ₹1,100 or less.

For outpatient care over a 15-day period, the average out-of-pocket spending was ₹861, with a median of ₹400. In public hospitals, the median expenditure was zero, indicating that at least half of the treatment episodes were free of cost.

The average expenditure for childbirth in public hospitals was ₹2,299, substantially lower than the overall average of ₹14,775 across all healthcare facilities.

The survey, conducted between January and December 2025, covered 1.39 lakh households across 17,520 sample units in rural and urban areas nationwide.