Recent government consumption data presents a worrying reality: rural households are spending more on gutkha than on education.
The Household Consumption and Expenditure Survey (HCES) reveals that rural families spend only 2.5% of their total consumption on education, while 4% is spent on tobacco products, mainly gutkha.
Rural India Spends More on Gutkha Than Education, Survey Reveals
These findings come at a time when tobacco prices are expected to rise from February 1, even as the government continues to expand public health services nationwide.
Tobacco consumption has steadily increased over the last decade. From 2011-12 to 2023-24, per capita spending on tobacco rose by 58% in rural areas and by 77% in urban areas.
Tobacco now makes up about 1.5% of monthly per capita expenditure in rural India and 1% in urban India.
Although these spending shares may seem small, the number of tobacco users shows widespread and growing consumption.
In rural India, households consuming tobacco increased from 9.9 crore (59.3% of all rural households) to 13.3 crore (68.6%), a 33% rise in just over a decade.
Urban India has seen an even faster increase, with tobacco-using households growing by 59%, from 2.8 crore (34.9%) to 4.7 crore (45.6%).
Tobacco consumption is no longer limited to specific regions or social groups, indicating widespread adoption across communities.
In rural areas, the rise in tobacco use is mainly driven by gutkha and leaf tobacco.
Whereas, in urban areas, cigarette consumption is increasing rapidly, while gutkha use is also spreading at a concerning rate.
Gutkha stands out as the most notable finding of the survey due to its dramatic rise in usage.
Gutkha Use in Rural India Surges Nearly Six-Fold From 5.3% to 30.4%
In rural India, the share of households consuming gutkha jumped nearly six-fold, from 5.3% to 30.4%.
Gutkha now accounts for 41% of all tobacco-related spending in rural areas, making it the most consumed tobacco product there.
In urban India, cigarettes remain the most commonly used tobacco product, consumed by 18.1% of urban households.
However, gutkha use in cities has risen sharply, with 16.8% of urban households reporting consumption.
Several states record gutkha consumption well above the national rural average of 30%, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan.
In rural Madhya Pradesh, nearly 60% of households consume gutkha.
In rural Uttar Pradesh, more than 50% of households report gutkha use.
Urban areas in these states are beginning to reflect similar trends.
Nearly half of urban households in Madhya Pradesh consume gutkha.
In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan, more than one-third of urban households use gutkha.
Several northeastern states also show above-average gutkha consumption in both rural and urban areas.
Southern states report comparatively lower gutkha use, but the numbers remain concerning.
In Karnataka, one in four rural households consumes gutkha.
One of the most alarming findings is the strong connection between poverty and tobacco use.
In rural India, over 70% of households in the bottom 40% income group consume tobacco.
In states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, this figure exceeds 85% among low-income rural households.
Poor rural households spend about 1.7% of their monthly expenditure on tobacco, compared to 1.2% among the richest 20%.
The gap is even greater in urban India, where more than half of the bottom 40% income households consume tobacco, compared to less than 37% among the wealthiest 20%.
