One is a cause of illness, and the other is consumed when one falls ill. Alcohol and medicines, two entities at opposite poles, are where Indians spent the most money. This is according to last year’s statistics. In the previous fiscal year, Indian households allocated the largest portion of their spending to purchasing these two items.

Data indicates that expenditure in these two areas has seen the fastest growth in the last 12 years. Spending on alcohol and tobacco increased by 15.7% in the previous fiscal year, the highest since 2012.

It’s not just intoxicants; health-related expenses also rose by 17.4%, the first such increase in 12 years. In the fiscal year ending 2023, this figure was 7.2%. This includes costs for medicines, hospital stays, and doctor’s fees.

Notably, while the world faced an economic slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, India recovered from financial losses faster than many developed nations. However, data also shows that growth in food and non-alcoholic products was only 0.5% annually. Concurrently, restaurants and hotels also experienced good growth.