Hyderabad: Women in rural Telangana consume alcohol at higher rates than those in urban areas, according to data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 6) released on Friday.
The survey shows 8.3% of women in rural Telangana drink alcohol, compared with 3.4% of women in urban areas. Overall, 6.8% of women aged 15 and above in the state reported alcohol use, while 43% of men said they consumed alcohol.
Nationally, the NFHS 6 found that 18.9% of men and 1.1% of women consume alcohol, placing Telangana well above the national average for both sexes. The survey also ranked Telangana highest for male alcohol consumption among the larger states, with 43% of men reporting use. Andhra Pradesh followed at 31.6%, with Karnataka at 15.6% and Tamil Nadu at 13.7%. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh recorded 12.2% and 13.9% respectively.
The NFHS 6, conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, covered nearly 679,000 households across 715 districts and provides a comprehensive picture of health, demographic and social indicators.
Arunachal Pradesh recorded the highest alcohol consumption overall: 50.5% of men and 23.2% of women there reported drinking. Other high consumption areas included the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (41.4% of men) and Sikkim (39.8% of men), with Sikkim also recording one of the highest female rates at 15.6%.