Rural–Urban Divide of COVID-19 Fatalities in India—Investigating the Role of Lifestyle Disorder Diseases

Parantap Basu, Susmita Das (), Arnab Dutta Choudhury (), Ritwik Mazumder () and Mahuya Sengupta ()
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Susmita Das: Assam University
Arnab Dutta Choudhury: Assam University
Ritwik Mazumder: Assam University
Mahuya Sengupta: Assam University

Journal of Quantitative Economics, 2025, vol. 23, issue 1, No 4, 33-58

Abstract: Abstract Using data on weekly COVID-19 infections and fatalities at the district level for 19 states and 4 union territories of India, we investigate the determinants of COVID-19 deaths focusing exclusively on the second wave of infections. We include several macroeconomic and structural indicators for districts namely, per capita district domestic product, the degree of urbanization, population density, percentage of aged population, share of agriculture, poverty, among several others. Our findings suggest that fatalities have a clear rural–urban divide. Rural agricultural districts with more poor people have experienced less cases and fatalities. Fatalities are more clustered in prosperous and dense industrial districts. Regions having higher COVID-19 fatalities also have a higher proportion of ageing population with urban life-style disorder related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Prevalence of respiratory illnesses further aggravates the effects of some of these life-style disorder diseases on COVID-19 fatalities.

Keywords: Government policy; Regulation; Public health; General welfare; Well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 I31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s40953-024-00422-w

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