What Are the Most Popular Tobacco Products in India?

Cigarettes were the most popular form of tobacco products asked about in a recent Statista survey, with around three in 10 Indian respondents predominantly living in urban centers saying they consumed the option at least occasionally. Meanwhile, hookah, which is smoked through a pipe, and chewing tobacco were consumed at least sometimes by 16 percent of respondents, respectively.

Looking at the data by gender, a higher share of women said they do not consume any tobacco products (56 percent of women, 44 percent of men). Women were also marginally more likely to say they smoked hookah at least occasionally (17 percent female, 15 percent male). Meanwhile a significantly higher share of male respondents said they smoked cigarettes at least occasionally than women (37 percent men, 23 percent women) - a pattern notable in other countries in Asia.