Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities are often grouped together in health data due to being grouped together in the U.S. Census racial category, masking critical disparities within these diverse populations. South Asians, for example, experience higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers compared to other AANHPI groups. Without disaggregated data, these unique health risks go unnoticed, leading to inadequate healthcare policies, misinformed research, and disparities in treatment. By breaking down data by ethnicity, researchers and policymakers can better identify health inequities, develop targeted interventions, and ensure all South Asian communities receive the care and resources they need.
In an effort to begin to fill the gap in data, SAPHA has compiled a working list of health outcomes datasets disaggregated to varying degrees of specificity in regard to ethnicity. Liman Dexeris
| Data Source | Geographic Region | Year Published / Inclusive Years | Degree of Disaggregation | Reported Health Outcomes |
| American Community Survey | State, county, and MSA*-specific data | 5-year estimates | Broken down to Asian Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Nepalese for many data points; further disaggregation for Maldivian, Other, Sikh, Sindhi in fewer measures | Health insurance status, household status, education, poverty, Medicaid/Medicare status, internet access |
| New Jersey State Health Assessment | New Jersey | 2024 | Asian Indians | Birth and mortality rates, foreign-born proportion; other metrics, too, but not much for SAA subgroups |
| California Department of Health | California | 2024 | Asians | Age-adjusted death rates, leading causes of death |
| Current Population Survey (US Bureau of Labor Statistics) | Nationwide data; state- and region-specific data, too, but not stratified by race | Until 2024 | Asian; Asian Indian | Employment rates, personal income, GDP per capita, wage |
| API Data Disaggregation Brief (California Department of Health, ACS, CHIS) | California (state-specific data) | 2022 | Disaggregated data for South Asian ethnic subgroups | COVID-19 cases/deaths, tuberculosis, poverty, unemployment, educational attainment |
| NYC Community Health Survey | NYC | Yearly, 2002-2020 | Asian Indians, South Asian, Other South Asian | Limited health outcomes reported for Asian Indians (education, employment, English literacy, insurance status), more health outcomes reported for broader ‘South Asian’ identifier (self-perceived health status, health behaviors) |
| Decennial Census | National, state, county, and MSA-specific data | 2010, 2020 | Asian Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Maldivian, Sikh, Sindhi | Only population measures and distributional changes from 2010-2020; data on citizenship status also |
| NYC Health of API in NYC(Actually pulls most information from ACS or NYC CHS, but some data is pulled from other city-wide surveys - check footnotes) | NYC | 2014-2018 | Asian Indians, some mention of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, mostly South Asian | Employment, prenatal care utilization, LEP for all subgroups, more health outcomes for Asian Indians (self-reported health, household status, health behaviors) |
| South Asian Health Needs Assessment Survey (Houston) | Houston | 2015 | All South Asian Americans in the area (but population mostly consists of Asian Indians) | Self-rated health, health services used, drug use, stress perception, nutrition and dietary patterns, physical activity, medical conditions; cancer risk knowledge and beliefs, screening rates |
| Austin Asian American Health Assessment | Austin | 2014 | All South Asian Americans (based in Austin MSA) | Health literacy, perceptions of community health, health services utilized, sources of health information, barriers to healthcare, participant recommendations for AARC and City of Austin government |
| Maryland Department of Health / OMHHD | Maryland | 2013 | Asian Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan | Population distribution statewide, LEP; Asian aggregated health outcomes reported for healthcare access, affordable care, routine checkups |
| Nepali Community in NYC CITY | New York | 2010 | ADHIKAR CHNA Nepalese Community | Nepali Community Data |
| South Asians CHNA Report | Minnesota | 2010 | All South Asians Americans (based in Minnesota) | SA in Minnesota CHNA |
| South Asian Community Empowerment Project – (SAALT) | Washington, D.C. | 2009 | All South Asian South Asians (based in Washington, D.C. MSA) | Citizenship status, demographics, healthcare needs, service utilization, recommendations and priority issues for adapting healthcare services |
| SAALT South Asian Report | New York, NY | 2007 | All South Asian American subgroups, but focused on advocacy organizations | Comprehensive information on South Asian America (first of its kind) |
