38% men, 9% women above 15 years use tobacco products: Health survey

The NFHS-5 survey has been conducted in an approximate 6.37 lakh sample households across 707 districts in 28 states and 8 Union Territories.

4 min readPuneUpdated: May 9, 2022 07:38 AM IST

At least 7.24 lakh women and 1.01 lakh men have been covered to provide disaggregated estimates up to district level.

OVERALL, 38 per cent men and 9 per cent women above 15 years of age use tobacco products, as per the National Family Health Survey 5(2019-21) released recently. The report also shows that only 1 per cent of women drink alcohol, compared with 19 per cent of men above the age of 15 years.

The NFHS-5 survey has been conducted in an approximate 6.37 lakh sample households across 707 districts in 28 states and 8 Union Territories. At least 7.24 lakh women and 1.01 lakh men have been covered to provide disaggregated estimates up to district level.

Women (19 per cent) and men (51 per cent) belonging to Scheduled Tribes are more likely to use tobacco than those from any other caste/tribe groups. Among men as well as women, the use of tobacco is higher in rural areas (43 per cent for men and 11 per cent for women) than in urban areas (29 per cent for men and 6 per cent for women). Nearly three-fifths of men (58 per cent) and 15 per cent of women with no schooling or less than 5 years of schooling use tobacco.

Tobacco use among men aged 15 and over is the highest in Mizoram (73 per cent), followed by Andaman & Nicobar Islands (59 per cent) and Manipur (58 per cent). Tobacco use among women is also the highest in Mizoram (62 per cent), followed by Tripura (51 per cent), and Manipur (43 per cent).The percentage of men 15 years old and above who use any kind of tobacco exceeds 40 per cent in most parts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, the northeastern states, the northern part of Maharashtra, western Gujarat, and southern Rajasthan. Use of tobacco is also high (30–40 per cent) in Ladakh, Uttarakhand, most parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, northern parts of Rajasthan, and northwestern Gujarat. Lower prevalence of tobacco use (below 30 per cent) is mostly observed in Punjab and southern states, except in central parts of Karnataka.

Alcohol use among women aged 15 and over is the highest in Arunachal Pradesh (24 per cent) and Sikkim (16 per cent). Alcohol use among men is the highest in Arunachal Pradesh (53 per cent) and Telangana (43 per cent), and is the lowest in Lakshadweep. A higher proportion (40 per cent and above) of alcohol consumption among men (15 years and over) is found in Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, upper Brahmaputra region of Assam, a few districts in Jharkhand, Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, and the Chhota Nagpur region of Jharkhand and Odisha. A 30-40 per cent level of alcohol consumption is found in the districts of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, and a few districts of Odisha. A lower level (below 30 per cent) of alcohol consumption is observed in the remaining parts of the states in India. Drinking alcohol is more common among women from Scheduled Tribes (6 per cent) than from any other caste/tribe groups.

Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Deputy Director, Centre for Cancer Epidemiology, Tata Memorial Centre told The Indian Express that tobacco kills at least 13 lakh Indians every year after prolonged suffering and financial distress. “It is time to take bold steps and work on tobacco cultivation/processing/manufacturing/promotion in a systematic manner, especially as the revenue from tobacco is only 10 per cent of the loss from it. Tobacco not only affects those consuming it but also people around them. As a first step, let us amend the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products Act 2003 in a way that the Tobacco Industry becomes a less profitable industry,” Dr Chaturvedi said.

“Alcohol is the second biggest preventable cause of death and diseases in India. It is a serious public health issue like tobacco and we need a national policy to control alcohol. Control of alcohol coming under the excise department was the biggest flaw in the system that needs to be urgently corrected. A visit to a bar shows that teenage drinking is rising due to intense promotion by celebrities and the alcohol Industry. We need display boards outside restaurants warning that underage drinking is illegal and offenders will be sent to a remand home,” Dr Chaturvedi added.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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