Affordability of cigarettes in India

India: Affordability of cigarettes was 9.8% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
9.8%
Change on year
down 26.1%
World rank
35th
of 176 countries
All-time high
14.3%
in 2014
All-time low
9.8%
in 2022
Years of data
6
2012–2022

Affordability of cigarettes in India, 2012–2022

0510152012201720222012: 12.5 %2014: 14.3 %2016: 13.6 %2018: 13.6 %2020: 13.2 %2022: 9.8 %

Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

India recorded 9.8% for affordability of cigarettes in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.

That represents a change of down 26.1% on the previous year and down 21.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, affordability of cigarettes in India peaked at 14.3% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 2022.

India ranks 35th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Affordability of cigarettes in India, year by year

Annual values for Affordability of cigarettes in India, 2012 to 2022.
Year % Change
2012 12.5%
2014 14.3% +15.0%
2016 13.6% -5.2%
2018 13.6% +0.0%
2020 13.2% -2.6%
2022 9.8% -26.1%

India compared with similar countries

  • India's 9.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.0%, 1.4× the median. (42 countries reporting)
  • India's 9.8% is above the median for South Asia, which is 9.8%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 13.5% 12.5% 14.3% 4
2020s 11.5% 9.8% 13.2% 2

Countries ranked near India

  1. 32 Togo 10.3% compare
  2. 33 Sudan 10.1% compare
  3. 34 Micronesia (country) 9.8% compare
  4. 36 Honduras 9.4% compare
  5. 37 Ecuador 9.4% compare
  6. 38 Tajikistan 9.2% compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is affordability of cigarettes in India?
Affordability of cigarettes in India was 9.8% in 2022, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest affordability of cigarettes recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 14.3% in 2014.
What is the lowest affordability of cigarettes recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 2022.
How does India rank for affordability of cigarettes?
India ranks 35th out of 176 countries with data for 2022.
Is affordability of cigarettes rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Affordability of cigarettes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Affordability of cigarettes in India. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/affordability-cigarettes/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Affordability of cigarettes
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 1,044 data points, 2012–2022
Last refreshed

Price of 100 packs of cigarettes as a share of GDP per capita. This price is based on the most-sold brand of cigarettes in a given country and includes taxes. Lower values indicate that cigarettes are more affordable.