Cautioning over increasing number of unhealthy young Indians, global consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers said on Wednesday exponential growth of chronic diseases can propel the country amongst top ten pharmaceuticals market in the world by 2020.

"Chronic disease will grow exponentially with India's economic growth. India will be host to some of the largest number of diabetics, cardiovascular disease patients in the world," PWC Associate Director Pharmaceutical and Life Science Sujay Shetty said. 

The onset of such diseases, he said, were also at a much younger age compared to the West, while releasing a global report titled 'Pharma 2020: The Vision -- Which Path Will You Take?'

Consequently, besides people's increased spending on preventive medicine owing to rising incomes, the deteriorating health of young Indians would expand pharmaceutical market in the country.

"India is likely to be in the top pharma markets of 2020, Shetty added. Citing the example of diabetes, the report said the number of Indians with the disease is projected to reach 73.5 million in 2025.

The direct and indirect costs of treating such patients are currently about $420 per person per year.

"If these costs remained the same as they are now, India's total bill for diabetes will be about 30 billion by 2025," the report said, adding as economic wealth grew and standards of care improved treatment costs were likely to rise.