Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, disability and socioeconomic losses in India and other developing countries. Specific topics addressed in this paper include magnitude of the problem, causes, context of injury occurrence, risk factors, severity, outcome and impact of TBIs on rapidly transforming societies. It is estimated that nearly 1.5 to 2 million persons are injured and 1 million succumb to death every year in India. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause (60%) of TBIs followed by falls (20%-25%) and violence (10%). Alcohol involvement is known to be present among 15%-20% of TBIs at the time of injury. The rehabilitation needs of brain injured persons are significantly high and increasing from year to year. India and other developing countries face the major challenges of prevention, pre-hospital care and rehabilitation in their rapidly changing environments to reduce the burden of TBIs.