New Delhi: A staggering one million people around the world died annually due to antibiotic resistance between 1990 and 2021, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet. The study warns that over 39 million more could succumb to antibiotic-resistant infections over the next 25 years if urgent action is not taken.
Future deaths from antibiotic resistance are expected to be highest in South Asia, including countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project estimates that 11.8 million people in this region will die directly from antibiotic-resistant infections between 2025 and 2050.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when drugs designed to kill infectious bacteria and fungi become ineffective, as these pathogens evolve and develop resistance. The analysis also highlighted other regions at high risk, including southern and eastern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Trends from 1990 to 2021 revealed a worrying increase of over 80 per cent in deaths caused by antibiotic resistance among those aged 70 years and above. This demographic is expected to be the most affected in the coming years. However, there has been progress in reducing deaths among young children under five, with fatalities dropping by more than 50 per cent during the same period.
“The fall in deaths from sepsis and antibiotic resistance among young children is a tremendous achievement,” said Kevin Ikuta, an affiliate professor at the Institute of Health Metrics (IHME), University of Washington. “But the growing threat to older people cannot be ignored.”
The GRAM Project, which analysed data from 520 million people across 204 countries, found that antibiotic resistance contributed to more deaths in 2019 than HIV/AIDS or malaria, causing 1.2 million deaths and contributing to nearly five million additional deaths globally. Improved healthcare access and responsible antibiotic use could save up to 92 million lives by 2050, the researchers concluded, underscoring the urgent need for global action against this growing threat.
