East India scored 66 out of 100 on overall health in the East India health quotient findings for 2026, making it the second highest scoring region in the country. ManipalCigna Health Insurance released the East India insights on 2 November 2026 from its India Health Quotient 2026 study. India’s overall score stands at 65 out of 100, one point below the eastern region.
The study was conducted by YouGov on behalf of ManipalCigna Health Insurance. It covered 2,600 urban Indian respondents across 16 cities, including Kolkata, Guwahati, Patna and Bhubaneswar from the eastern region. The index measures self-assessed health across five dimensions: physical, mental, financial, occupational and social. Scores are based on what respondents said about their own health, not on clinical records.
Across urban Indians, physical health remains the strongest dimension, with a score of 68 out of 100. Financial health stands at 62 out of 100 nationally, which the study’s release presents as a reason for greater focus on financial preparedness as part of wellbeing. East India recorded a financial health score of 63 out of 100, above the national average, with mental health at 66 and social health at 67.
Sapna Desai, Chief Marketing Officer at ManipalCigna Health Insurance, said East India stands out for its strong focus on financial wellbeing and long-term preparedness. She said that emphasis co-exists with strong mental and social wellbeing outcomes in the region, and that people increasingly view health through a wider lens that includes emotional resilience, social connectedness and financial preparedness alongside physical health.
East India health quotient: Kolkata and financial health
Kolkata leads the eastern region on financial health as a priority. In Kolkata, 28 percent of respondents identify financial health as the most important dimension of their overall wellbeing, compared with 20 percent in the other eastern cities of Guwahati, Patna and Bhubaneswar. That eight point gap is one of the clearest regional differences in the results.
Future-oriented behaviour shows the same pattern. Preparing financially for retirement features among the top five aspects for 50 percent of respondents in Kolkata, compared with 41 percent in the other eastern cities. The East India health quotient presents that as evidence that Kolkata residents are thinking further ahead about money, rather than only about present costs.
Mental health shows a similar gap. Seeking help when support is needed features among the top five aspects for 50 percent of respondents in Kolkata, compared with 40 percent in the other eastern cities. That finding suggests that, in Kolkata at least, asking for help is more readily named in the East India health quotient as part of looking after health than it is elsewhere in the region.
East India health quotient: social wellbeing results
Social wellbeing is another strong area for the region. Over half of respondents from East India report high performance, rated very good or excellent, in feeling included and accepted in social settings, compared with 48 percent in the rest of India. The release presents social connectedness as complementing financial preparedness, rather than sitting apart from it.
The balance across dimensions is the point the East India health quotient release stresses. East India does not score highly on one dimension alone. Financial health at 63, mental health at 66 and social health at 67 sit close together, which the study describes as a balanced approach to wellbeing. That balance lifts the overall regional score to 66, above the national score of 65.
Health insurance and the wellbeing gap
Beyond the regional findings, the East India health quotient study reports that health insurance ownership is one of the strongest predictors of overall wellbeing in India. Indians with health insurance score 68 out of 100, compared with 62 for uninsured urban Indians, a six point gap. That gap remains consistent across every cohort, region, age group, gender and stress level tested in the study.
The gap is larger than several other differences the study measured. In the East India health quotient, men and women both score 65 out of 100, so there is no gender gap in the overall score. The gap between India’s youngest and oldest age groups is two points, with scores of 63 and 65. The insurance gap of six points exceeds both, and it does not diminish even when stress levels are taken into account.
In the East India health quotient study, insured Indians also reported higher wellbeing scores than uninsured Indians on physical, mental and financial dimensions alike. That pattern held across cohorts and stress levels, according to the release. The East India health quotient is based on self-assessment, so it shows an association between insurance and reported wellbeing, not proof that insurance alone causes the difference. Other factors, such as income and access to care, may sit behind both insurance ownership and higher scores.