Hyderabad: Despite having 600 liquor shops, Hyderabad ranks 31st out of 33 districts in Telangana in terms of alcohol consumption.
According to the National Family Health Survey 6, only Adilabad with 27.4 per cent and Kumuram Bheem Asifabad with 30.1 per cent are ranked lower than the capital.
The study is in complete contrast to Hyderabad’s image as Telangana’s commercial centre, with plenty of liquor outlets operating across the city.
Hyderabad’s figure is 13.5 percentage points below the state average of 44 per cent, suggesting that alcohol consumption is far more prevalent in many rural districts than in the capital.
On the other hand, Jangaon topped the list with 61.6 per cent of men consuming alcohol, followed by Jayashankar Bhupalpally 56.6 per cent and Warangal Rural 56.5 per cent.
Despite being one of the lowest districts in the state average, the city is above the national average. Hyderabad’s male alcohol consumption rate is 11.5 percentage points higher than the countrywide figure of 18.9 per cent.
The numbers assume greater significance given Telangana’s extensive liquor retail network. The state has 2,620 A4 retail liquor shops, 1,107 2B bars and 88 elite bars.
Telangana has once again topped the list of large states in terms of alcohol use as per the National Family Health Survey 6.
As many as 44 per cent of men in Telangana consume alcohol. The findings highlight Telangana’s persistent lead over the rest of India and point to a strong rural consumption pattern that continues to drive the numbers.
According to the report, children as young as 15 years also consume alcohol. The percentage of alcohol consumers is more than double the national average of 18.9 per cent. Despite a marginal decline from the previous survey round, Telangana has retained its position at the top among larger states.
In the previous report, 50 per cent of men aged 15-49 years in Telangana reported consuming alcohol, compared with the national average of 22.4 per cent.
While the age groups covered in the two surveys differ, the data indicate that Telangana has consistently remained well above the national average.
Among major states, Rajasthan followed Telangana with 42.2 per cent of men reporting alcohol consumption, while Chhattisgarh stood at 38.3 per cent.
Telangana’s figure was 1.7 percentage points higher than Rajasthan’s and 5.6 percentage points above Chhattisgarh’s. The gap with the national average was even more striking at 25 percentage points.
The survey also highlights a pronounced rural-urban divide within the state. Alcohol consumption was reported by 46.6 per cent of rural men, compared with 36.3 per cent of urban men.
The 10.3 percentage-point difference suggests that rural Telangana is the primary driver of the state’s high overall consumption rate.
A similar trend is noticed among women in the state, albeit at much lower levels. Telangana recorded alcohol consumption among 7.1 per cent of women aged 15 years and above, which is considerably higher than the national average of 1.1 per cent.
Only Rajasthan, at 19.9 per cent, reported a significantly higher proportion among women, while Chhattisgarh stood at 5.7 per cent.
The rural-urban gap among women was even wider. While 8.6 per cent of rural women reported consuming alcohol, the corresponding figure in urban areas was just 2.8 per cent. The NFHS study comes at a time when Telangana is expanding its liquor market.
Liquor sales in the state touched around Rs 40,209 crore in 2025-26, up from Rs 37,487 crore in the previous financial year.
Sales also increased, with 382.91 lakh cases sold during 2025-26 compared with 372.25 lakh cases in 2024-25.
Excise collections have mirrored this growth. Revenue from liquor sales was reported at about Rs 39,368 crore, while total excise collections crossed Rs 44,000 crore, highlighting the scale of the state’s alcohol market.
While the NFHS data measure the proportion of people who report consuming alcohol rather than the quantity consumed.
This post was last modified on October 3, 2026 11:08 am