10 Indian States That Spend The Most On Cigarette Smoking

The 10 Indian States That Spend The Most On Smoking

Source of data: For a list of all Indian state, visit the following link:
https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/12/23/which-indian-states-drink-and-smoke-the-most/

India is home to 12% of the world's smokers. Smoking in India claims the lives of millions of people every year. Although several bans and restrictions are in place to discourage Indians to smoke, all have had little effect on this deadly habit of the country' men and women. What is worse is that smoking is also becoming more common among Indian women. As women in the country are getting empowered and moving closer towards gender equality, they are also adopting habits traditionally associated with men like smoking and drinking alcohol. While female empowerment is certainly good for the country, it should not be related to the false sense of empowerment gained through female smoking and drinking. Both men and women in India must move towards making themselves free of such bad habits that can even turn lethal.

Smoking trends in India also vary widely across the various states of the country. Below is a list of the Indian states where people spend the most on buying cigarettes.

Northeast Indian States Smoke The Most

From the table above, it becomes clear that people from the Northeast Indian states smoke the most. Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Manipur, all from the northeast, occupy the top three slots with the highest amount spend per head on cigarette smoking in a month. An average person in Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Manipur spend 103.62, 62.11, and 40.01 Indian rupees per month for smoking cigarettes respectively. Nagaland comes in fifth place with Kerala from South India taking fourth place in the ranking. Tripura ranks eighth while Assam and Arunachal Pradesh digress from the trend ranking much later in the list. 

The high prevalence of smoking in the Northeast is attributed to the smoking culture of the region whereby most children pick up the habit from their parents and siblings at home. Both men and women in the region smoke and hence, the young boys and girls are heavily influenced by what they witness at home. More women smoke in the northeast than anywhere else in the country. Peer pressure also coaxes the youth into smoking. The governments of these states are making several attempts to discourage the habit of cigarette smoking among its population. It is believed that the older generations need to set an example for the younger ones by quitting the habit. Only then the youth might follow.

Kerala From South India: The Odd One Out

Although Kerala was the first Indian state to ban smoking in public places on July 12, 1999, it ranks as the fourth state where an individual spends the most money on smoking cigarettes.