Male Deaths in Tamil Nadu Exceed Female Deaths by Over 1 Lakh for Third Consecutive Year: Study

Chennai, Sep 29 : A study based on birth and death records in Tamil Nadu has revealed that male deaths exceeded female deaths by more than one lakh for the third consecutive year, with the widest disparity recorded among people in the 15-64 age group.

According to a research paper published in the quarterly journal of the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health, the state recorded 6,93,207 deaths in 2025, including 4,01,860 men and 2,91,347 women. Thus, male deaths exceeded female deaths by 1,10,513.

The study found that 86 per cent of the additional male deaths—94,792—were in the 15-64 age group.

The disparity was also significant in the preceding two years. Male deaths exceeded female deaths by about 1.07 lakh in 2024 and 1.11 lakh in 2023, according to the data cited in the report.

An analysis of Civil Registration System data from 2018 to 2022 by the Public Health Department showed that male mortality was higher than female mortality from the age of 15 onwards in every district of Tamil Nadu.

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss expressed concern over the trend and attributed it to factors including road accidents, suicides, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and delayed detection of non-communicable diseases such as heart and kidney ailments.

Ramadoss pointed out that only 41 per cent of deaths recorded in 2025 occurred in hospitals, making it difficult to establish the causes of deaths occurring outside healthcare facilities.

The PMK has called for a detailed study into the factors contributing to higher male mortality, particularly the role of alcohol consumption. The party has also reiterated its demand for total prohibition in Tamil Nadu.

Ramadoss said the state government should study the health and social impact of alcohol consumption and, based on the findings, consider closing 1,000 state-owned liquor retail outlets every year with the objective of implementing complete prohibition within three years.

He also referred to the social and economic consequences of premature male deaths, particularly for families dependent on male earners.

Tamil Nadu has had a long and complex history of prohibition. Prohibition was introduced in parts of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in 1937 and extended across the Presidency in 1948. It continued until 1971, when liquor sales were reintroduced.

The PMK has argued that the social and economic costs associated with alcohol consumption outweigh the revenue generated from the liquor trade. It has also called for greater attention to alcohol-related health problems and their impact on the state's workforce.

However, the available mortality data primarily establish the difference in male and female deaths; further research would be required to determine the precise contribution of alcohol and other factors to the disparity.