India Pharma Outlook Team | Thursday, 03 September 2026
India faces a sharp rise in dementia that could leave 16.9 million seniors living with the condition by 2036.
Tata Trusts warns that the country must move beyond early detection and build a stronger, more collaborative dementia care ecosystem now.
As the population ages, the gap between need and available services will widen unless healthcare providers, families, communities and policymakers act together.
A 2023 AIIMS-USC study shows the numbers could nearly double earlier than expected. This analysis examines the scale of the challenge, the limits of current infrastructure and the steps required to create a connected system of care.
Dementia describes the loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that become severe enough to interfere with daily life. India already faces one of the world’s largest dementia burdens. Nationally representative data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India – Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia (LASI-DAD) estimate that about 8.8 million people aged over 60 years (7.4 per cent) live with dementia.
The same figure appears in the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Journal. Nearly 90 per cent of these cases remain undiagnosed. A 2023 AIIMS-USC study projects the number could reach 16.9 million by 2036, while global burden-of-disease estimates put the figure near 11 million by 2050.
Tata Trusts CEO Siddharth Sharma states that dementia will be one of the defining health conversations in India over the next three decades. He emphasizes the need for a shared, evidence-based understanding that looks beyond the disease itself. The focus, he says, must include the realities of the individual and the caregiver and must aim to build an ecosystem of care around them.
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Ramani Sundaram, Executive Director of the Dementia India Alliance, notes that early detection remains an important first step. Yet it cannot exist in isolation. India today has fewer than 50 full-fledged dementia care centers. The shortfall leaves most families without specialized support once a diagnosis arrives.
Key gaps in the present system include:
Sundaram calls for a stronger, more connected dementia ecosystem. Such a system would support individuals and caregivers, equip families with practical resources and bring multiple stakeholders together to respond proactively and effectively.
Dr Anura Kurpad, Senior Advisor for Health at Tata Trusts, points out that people often describe changes in memory, behavior or everyday functioning simply as old age. These changes can signal early dementia and should not be ignored. While no cure currently exists, an early diagnosis can prove transformative.
India needs systemic action on modifiable risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and other lifestyle factors. Addressing these risks early can slow progression and preserve quality of life for longer.
Tata Trusts stresses that the response must go beyond screening campaigns. The country requires a collaborative framework that links clinical care, caregiver support, community awareness and policy action.
A connected approach would help families receive timely guidance, reduce the burden on caregivers and ensure that people living with dementia retain dignity and support. The numbers make the urgency clear. India needs a dementia care ecosystem now, before the scale of the challenge outpaces the capacity to respond.
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