NFHS-6: Telangana Has India’s Second-Highest Male Alcohol Use Rate at 43.9%
HYDERABAD: Telangana has the second-highest prevalence of alcohol use among men in India, with 43.9% of men aged 15 and above reporting that they consume alcohol, according to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) data.
The rate is more than double the national average of 18.9% for men. Telangana also stands out for alcohol use among women: 7.1% of women aged 15 and above reported drinking, compared with an India-wide average of just 1.1%.
The NFHS-6 data show that Arunachal Pradesh has the country's highest reported prevalence among men at 50.5%, followed by Telangana at 43.9% and Sikkim at 42.2%. Chhattisgarh, at 38.3%, and Jharkhand, at 33.6%, round out the five highest rates.
The figures correct some media reports that described Telangana as having the highest male alcohol-use rate in the country. Telangana ranks second when all states and Union Territories are considered.
Telangana more than twice the national average
The gap between Telangana and the national average is substantial. At 43.9%, Telangana's reported male alcohol-use rate is 25 percentage points higher than India's 18.9% and about 2.3 times the national level.
The latest survey also indicates that Telangana's high prevalence has persisted rather than emerging suddenly. On the comparable NFHS-5 measure reflected in the NFHS data, the male rate has increased by 0.5 percentage points.
That is important because comparisons using different NFHS age categories can produce misleading conclusions about whether alcohol use has risen or fallen.
The pattern varies sharply across India. After Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana and Sikkim, the highest rates among men were recorded in Chhattisgarh at 38.3%, Jharkhand at 33.6%, Andaman and Nicobar Islands at 32%, Himachal Pradesh at 30.2% and Tripura at 29.5%. At the other end, Lakshadweep recorded 0.6%, Gujarat 5.2%, Jammu and Kashmir 7.3% and Rajasthan 10.7%.
Telangana third-highest among women
Telangana's position is also notable when alcohol use among women is considered.
The state's 7.1% prevalence among women is more than six times the national average of 1.1%. Only Arunachal Pradesh, at 23.2%, and Sikkim, at 19.9%, recorded higher rates in the NFHS-6 data.
Female alcohol use is concentrated in a relatively small group of states. Apart from Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Telangana, the states above 5% are Tripura at 6%, Assam at 5.8%, Chhattisgarh at 5.7% and Jharkhand at 5.5%. Every other state and Union Territory is at 3.9% or below. The NFHS data therefore place Telangana near the top nationally for reported alcohol use among both men and women.
Rural Telangana reports substantially higher drinking
Within Telangana, the prevalence is considerably higher in rural areas. About 46.6% of rural men reported consuming alcohol, compared with 36.3% of urban men, according to NFHS-6 findings. Among women, the rural-urban difference is even more pronounced proportionately, with 8.6% of rural women reporting alcohol use compared with 2.8% of urban women.
The figures suggest that Telangana's high statewide rate cannot simply be explained by Hyderabad's bars, restaurants and nightlife. Reported alcohol use is particularly widespread in rural parts of the state.
District-level NFHS-6 figures cited in reports also show substantial variation within Telangana. Hyderabad recorded a considerably lower male prevalence than the statewide average, while several predominantly rural districts reported much higher levels.
Telangana bucks declines seen in several states
Comparisons with NFHS-5 reveal sharply different trends across India. Telangana's male prevalence increased slightly, by 0.5 percentage points. Larger increases were recorded in Uttar Pradesh, up 4.2 points; Chhattisgarh, up 3.6; Nagaland and Chandigarh, up 3 points each; Kerala, up 2.8; and Sikkim, up 2.3.
Some states and Union Territories moved in the opposite direction. Goa recorded the largest decline, falling 14.4 percentage points. Andaman and Nicobar Islands declined 6.8 points, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 6.1 points, Delhi 5.5 points, and Ladakh and Puducherry 5.1 points each.
Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, is much closer to the middle of the national distribution. 23.3% of men and 0.6% of women in the state reported alcohol use. The male rate increased marginally by 0.2 percentage points from NFHS-5.
Prohibition does not mean zero reported consumption
The survey also illustrates why legal restrictions and self-reported alcohol consumption should not be treated as equivalent measures.
Gujarat, where prohibition is in force, recorded one of India's lowest male rates at 5.2%. Bihar, which also prohibits alcohol, recorded a substantially higher 16.5%, up 1.1 percentage points from NFHS-5.
Because NFHS figures are based on respondents reporting their alcohol use, comparisons involving prohibition states warrant particular caution. The survey measures reported prevalence rather than alcohol sales or enforcement data.
Liquor revenue tells a different story
The NFHS findings come amid continuing attention to Telangana's large liquor market and the revenue it generates for the state government.
Recent reporting has put Telangana's 2025-26 liquor sales at about Rs 40,209 crore, compared with Rs 37,487 crore in the previous financial year. Separate figures have put revenue generated through liquor sales at around Rs 39,368 crore.
Those financial numbers should not be used as a direct measure of alcohol prevalence.
The NFHS indicator answers a different question: what percentage of surveyed adults report consuming alcohol? It does not show how much or how frequently each respondent drinks. Similarly, the value of liquor sales can change because of prices, taxation, the quantity and type of alcohol sold and other market factors.
The NFHS-6 findings are therefore significant not because Telangana has a large liquor market alone, but because the primary survey data show an unusually high share of the adult population — particularly men — reporting alcohol use.
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