India’s Union Budget for 2025–2026 allocated approximately INR one trillion to the health sector. Despite this investment, cancer continues to impose a substantial economic burden on the country. As per 2022 estimates, premature deaths due to cancer resulted in an economic loss of nearly USD 12.2 billion, accounting for about 0.36% of India’s gross domestic product. This burden is projected to rise sharply, with cancer-related economic losses expected to reach USD 36–40 billion by 2030.
At the household level, the impact is equally severe. More than three-fourths of Indian households affected by cancer experience catastrophic financial hardship, with a significant proportion financing care through the sale of assets or by taking loans. At an individual level, early-stage cancer leads to an average productivity loss of approximately INR 31 lakhs, which increases to around INR 71 lakhs in late-stage disease. For every life lost to cancer, the productivity loss is estimated at about INR 57 lakhs for females and INR 71 lakhs for males.
Cervical cancer, in particular, represents a major public health and economic challenge in India, causing approximately 75,000 deaths annually and resulting in substantial productivity losses. It is the second most common cancer among women in the country, with a disproportionately higher burden in rural areas compared to urban settings. Data from the National Family Health Survey indicate that only about 10% of women aged 15–49 years have been screened for cervical cancer in the past three years.
To address this challenge, the World Health Organization has proposed the 90–70–90 strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer. This strategy aims to ensure that 90% of girls are fully vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15 years, 70% of women are screened at least twice in their lifetime using a high-performance test, and 90% of women diagnosed with cervical cancer receive appropriate treatment and care. In 2023, India recorded 127,526 new cases of cervical cancer, corresponding to an incidence of 17.7 cases per 100,000 women. In the same year, 79,906 women died from the disease, translating to a mortality rate of 11.2 deaths per 100,000 women. Without effective intervention, projections suggest that between 2020 and 2070, nearly 5.8 million women in India will die from cervical cancer, a figure expected to rise to approximately 13.3 million by 2120.
Conversely, achieving the WHO 90–70–90 targets by 2030 could result in an estimated 10.6 million lives saved by 2120. The WHO estimates that India would require a cumulative investment of around USD 2 trillion in the first decade of implementing these targets. From a resource standpoint, this would entail approximately 61 million HPV screening tests and 156 million doses of the HPV vaccine. Importantly, the economic returns are substantial: for every USD 1 invested in cervical cancer elimination, a return of USD 10.53 is expected over 30 years, increasing to USD 28.29 over a 50-year period.
Eliminating cervical cancer is therefore well within India’s reach. A concerted effort by policymakers to prioritize and invest in this agenda is crucial to safeguarding the health, productivity, and future of women across the country.
(This article is authored by: Abhishek Shankar, Vaibhav Sahni -Department of Radiation, AIIMS, Delhi)
