Trends in prevalence of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension in urban India since 2000: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Rapid changes in urbanization in India have paralleled increased prevalence in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension (HTN), and obesity. To examine sex-specific temporal trends in the prevalence of T2D, HTN, general obesity (GO), and abdominal obesity (AO) among urban populations in India since 2000, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with a registered Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews protocol (CRD42024548962). PubMed, Global Health (via EBSCOhost), Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for studies from 2000-2025 (initial search: October 12, 2024; update: July 4, 2025). Eligible studies were cross-sectional and reported the prevalence of T2D or HTN or obesity in urban Indian populations. Screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment using the Hoy tool were performed independently by 2 reviewers, with a third resolving conflicts. Pooled prevalence was estimated via random-effects meta-analysis in R (version 4.5.3), with forest and funnel plots generated using ggplot2. Out of 3143 records screened, 57 studies were included. The pooled prevalence demonstrated upward trajectory. T2D rose from 13% in 2000-2005 to 21% in 2021-2025, and HTN from 29% to 31%. For obesity, GO increased from 24% in 2000-2005 to 36% in 2016-2020, while AO rose from 47% to 72% over the same period. Sex-stratified analyses showed greater increases among males for T2D and HTN, whereas AO increased more among females. These findings underscore increasing T2D, HTN, and obesity in urban India, highlighting the need for strengthened primary care and supportive environmental and policy measures address the urban NCD burden.