Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in India
India: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 39.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in India, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in India stood at 39.0%.
The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in India peaked at 41.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 37.2%, in 2000.
India ranks 100th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 37.2% | — |
| 2001 | 37.4% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 37.8% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 38.1% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 38.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 38.2% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 38.4% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 39.0% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 39.7% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 40.7% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 40.9% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 41.1% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 41.0% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 40.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 40.7% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 40.6% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 40.3% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 40.1% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 40.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 40.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 39.0% | -2.6% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 39.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 44.7%, 87% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 39.0% is above the median for South Asia, which is 32.8%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.4% | 37.2% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.6% | 40.1% | 41.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.0% | 39.0% | 39.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in India?
- Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in India was 39.0% in 2020, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 41.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.2% in 2000.
- How does India rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
- India ranks 100th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Heavy episodic drinking (drinkers only) is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers (15+ years) who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. A consumption of 60 grams of pure alcohol corresponds approximately to 6 standard alcoholic drinks.