In Numbers: Delhi Building Collapse Highlights Safety Risks Across India

In 2020 alone, 1,051 residential buildings collapsed. The figure rose to 1,176 in 2022 before declining to 922 in 2024. Commercial building collapses were far fewer, ranging between 51 and 77 cases a year.

10 Sep 2026, 12:44 · NDTV

New Delhi:

The collapse of a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Delhi's Satya Niketan that killed seven students has once again raised questions about building safety in India's cities.

The concern has been further amplified by another structural collapse in Gujarat's Gandhinagar, where a portion of the under-construction Bosky The Empire commercial complex collapsed on September 9, trapping 15 workers under debris. All were rescued, but the incident has renewed attention on building safety and construction standards.

Official data from NCRB shows that structural collapses are not isolated events. Data from 2020 to 2024 show that residential buildings account for a majority of building collapse incidents in India. During these five years, more than 900 dwelling houses collapsed every year. In comparison, the number of commercial or office building collapses remained below 100 annually.

In 2020 alone, 1,051 residential buildings collapsed. The figure rose to 1,176 in 2022 before declining to 922 in 2024. Commercial building collapses were far fewer, ranging between 51 and 77 cases a year.

The human cost of these incidents remains high. Between 2020 and 2024, a total of 5,941 people lost their lives in residential and commercial building collapse incidents. Annual fatalities remained above the 1,000-mark throughout the period. Men accounted for nearly 70% of the deaths reported during these five years.

A state-wise analysis shows that the burden is unevenly distributed. Mizoram recorded the highest fatality rate at 44.8 deaths per million population between 2020 and 2024. The state's numbers were heavily influenced by the devastating 2023 disaster near National Highway-6, where landslides triggered the collapse of several residential structures and caused large-scale loss of life.

Ladakh ranked second with 13.3 deaths per million population, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Delhi recorded 5.7 deaths per million population, placing it among the higher-risk regions in the country.

The recent collapse cases have renewed focus on ageing buildings, unauthorised construction and poor structural oversight in densely populated urban areas. While the immediate investigation will determine what caused the Delhi tragedy, the broader data suggests that building safety remains a continuing challenge across many parts of India, especially where large numbers of people live in older residential structures.

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