TL;DR An analysis of NCRB data from 2001 to 2024 shows that stampede deaths in India continue to occur in irregular spikes rather than following a sustained decline. A total of 147 people lost their lives in stampedes in 2024, while the deadliest year in the dataset was 2011, with 489 deaths. The analysis also finds that the burden is highly concentrated geographically, with just 10 states accounting for 84% of all recorded stampede deaths over the 24-year period.

Context

Thousands of devotees gathered in Puri for the annual Rath Yatra when a crowd surge near the Grand Road triggered panic. Two people lost their lives, and more than 100 others were hospitalised after people were crushed in the densely packed crowd. Despite elaborate security arrangements, the incident once again highlighted how quickly large public gatherings can turn deadly when crowd movement becomes difficult. The incident echoes a pattern that has repeatedly emerged over the past two decades.

Who Compiles This Data?
The NCRB, under India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, collects stampede data annually through state and UT police, published in the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) reports. While comprehensive, many incidents and non-fatal injuries may go unreported, making the dataset an incomplete reflection of the true scale.

Where can I download Clean & Structured Data about the Stampede Deaths?

Clean, structured, and ready-to-use datasets related to Year, State and Gender wise Deaths and Injuries due to Stampede Incidents can be downloaded from Dataful.

Key Insights

Stampede Deaths Continue to Spike Despite Two Decades of Tragedies

The number of people killed in stampedes has fluctuated sharply over the last 24 years rather than following a steady upward or downward trend. Several years witnessed exceptionally high death tolls, largely driven by one or more major crowd disasters.

The deadliest year in the dataset was 2011, when 489 people lost their lives. Other years with exceptionally high fatalities include 2015 (480 deaths), 2008 (434 deaths), 2013 (400 deaths) and 2005 (346 deaths).

While the years following 2015 have generally recorded fewer deaths than the major peaks seen in the 2000s and early 2010s, fatalities continue to fluctuate sharply. India recorded 147 stampede deaths in 2024, compared with just 32 in 2023, illustrating how a single large-scale incident can quickly reverse an otherwise low annual death toll. Rather than following a steady decline, stampede deaths continue to occur in irregular spikes.

A Handful of States Have Accounted for Most Stampede Deaths

Stampede deaths have not been evenly distributed across India. Between 2001 and 2024, Jharkhand recorded the highest cumulative number of deaths, followed by Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Together with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka, these ten states accounted for 84% of all stampede deaths recorded in the country during the 24-year period.

This concentration suggests that India’s stampede burden is far from evenly distributed. Many of these states regularly host large religious pilgrimages, temple festivals, fairs, and other mass public gatherings that attract hundreds of thousands of people, making effective crowd management and emergency preparedness especially critical. In contrast, the remaining states and Union Territories together accounted for just 16% of the total recorded deaths, underscoring how stampede fatalities have been concentrated in a relatively small number of states over the past two decades.

The Deadliest Years Were Driven by Major Crowd Disasters

National death tolls often surged because of one or more catastrophic stampedes rather than a gradual increase in incidents. Major spikes coincide with widely reported disasters such as temple stampedes and large religious gatherings that resulted in hundreds of fatalities within a single year. These events illustrate how failures in crowd control, inadequate emergency planning and overcrowded venues can rapidly transform routine gatherings into mass casualty incidents.

This also explains why annual deaths vary dramatically from one year to the next.

Why Does It Matter? 

Stampedes are among the most preventable forms of accidental deaths. Most occur not because of natural disasters but because large crowds overwhelm available infrastructure and safety measures.

The NCRB data shows that India continues to witness periodic spikes in fatalities, even after several high-profile tragedies prompted reviews of crowd management practices. Better route planning, real-time crowd monitoring, regulated entry and exit points, timely communication, and clearly defined emergency response mechanisms can significantly reduce the risk of crowd crushes.

As mass gatherings continue to draw millions of people every year, analysing long-term trends helps identify where preventive measures are needed the most.

Key Numbers (2001 to 2024)

• Highest annual stampede deaths: 489 (2011)

• Second highest: 480 (2015)

• Third highest: 434 (2008)

• State with most deaths: Jharkhand (456)

• Top 5 states: Jharkhand (456), Maharashtra (393), Andhra Pradesh (391), Uttar Pradesh (353) and Tamil Nadu (266)