Tobacco, alcohol consumption higher among men, rural areas tops in chart: NFHS data

The latest National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) 2023-24 has highlighted the changing pattern of tobacco and alcohol consumption across India. The data shows that men continue to have significantly higher consumption rates compared to women, while rural areas record greater usage than urban regions.

The data indicates that tobacco and alcohol consumption remains higher in rural areas compared to urban regions, especially among men. 

The data shows that 8.4% of women aged 15 years and above reported using some form of tobacco in NFHS-6. The prevalence was lower in urban areas at 4.6%, while rural areas recorded a higher usage rate of 10%. Compared to NFHS-5, where the overall figure stood at 8.9%, the total tobacco consumption among women has seen a slight decline compared to NFHS-5 which stands at 8.4%.

Among men aged 15 years and above, tobacco use remained significantly higher. NFHS-6 recorded 36.3% tobacco consumption among men, with urban areas reporting 26.2% and rural areas 41.1%. The figure shows a marginal decrease compared to NFHS-5, where the total consumption was 38%.

The survey also highlighted alcohol consumption patterns. Among women, 1.1% reported consuming alcohol in NFHS-6, with urban areas at 0.5% and rural areas at 1.4%. The figure is slightly lower than the NFHS-5 total of 1.3%.

Alcohol consumption among men was much higher compared to women. NFHS-6 data showed that 18.9% of men aged 15 years and above consume alcohol, including 15.5% in urban areas and 20.6% in rural areas. This marks a marginal increase compared to the NFHS-5 total figure of 18.7%.

The NFHS-6 (2023-24) data shows that tobacco consumption is highest among several North-Eastern states of India. Among men aged 15 years and above, Mizoram recorded the highest tobacco use at 73.6%, followed by Meghalaya at 57.8%. Tripura and Andaman & Nicobar Islands reported around 52.1% consumption, while Arunachal Pradesh recorded 51.4%.

The NFHS-6 survey in the series, provides key information on population, health and nutrition indicators for India and all States/Union Territories (except Manipur). The survey was conducted in two phases between May 2023 and December 2024, covering over 6.7 lakh households, 7.1 lakh women and 1 lakh men across the country.