Nicotine

Key Takeaways:

• 1 in 5 urban professionals (20.5%) use nicotine, higher than the national average and close to global smoking hotspots

• Men use nicotine far more than women, with a 15.8% gap

• Around 103 million professionals are affected, making this a national economic concern rather than just an individual choice

The Inconvenient Truth

In India’s urban workforce, nicotine consumption is evolving. While traditional cigarette smoking remains prevalent, patterns are shifting toward diverse products, roll-your-own cigarettes, heated tobacco, and, until recently, e-cigarettes and vapes.

Among professionals, use is often tied less to habit and more to workplace culture, stress management, and social settings.

Data from national surveys and market studies show that although smoking rates among educated, higher-income groups are lower than the national average, daily usage among current users can be more intense. Late-night work hours, high-pressure roles, and disposable income create conditions for sustained consumption.

At the same time, discreet forms like vaping, nicotine pouches, and smokeless alternatives have gained ground in certain segments, particularly among younger professionals.

Against this backdrop, our survey explores how nicotine habits are forming, changing, or persisting among urban professionals today, shedding light on product preferences, triggers, and the role of workplace environments in shaping use.

The Reality Beneath the Wellness Image

India’s youngest workforce is often portrayed as health-conscious and forward-looking. But our survey reveals a different truth: 20.5% of urban professionals use nicotine products, a rate that surpasses the national average and edges toward global highs we should be avoiding.

The Quiet Spread of Nicotine

The polished image of clean-living millennials and Gen Z hides a quieter reality—smoke breaks between meetings, discreet bathroom vapes, and “just on weekends” habits that, over time, erode years of healthy living.

Breaking Down the Numbers

From 3,436 urban professionals surveyed:

• 8.2% are daily users—equivalent to 41 million people nationwide

• 12.3% are occasional users—social smokers and casual vapers

• 79.5% have never used nicotine products

The Scale of the Problem

Extrapolated to India’s 500 million urban professionals, that’s 103 million workers whose health is compromised by nicotine, more than the population of most countries.

Nicotine Use by Gender and Generation

When we cross-tab nicotine use by generation and gender, six distinct segments emerge. This 3×2 view reveals risk patterns hidden in aggregate data.

1. Male Use: The Unbroken Line

Among male professionals, nicotine use barely changes across generations—Gen Z (25.2%), Millennials (25.6%), and Gen X (28.0%). This isn’t a generational habit; it’s a structural one. The data dismantles the idea that younger workforces are inherently healthier.

No matter the age group, roughly one in four men is a current user, pointing to workplace culture and systemic factors as the real drivers.

2. The Expanding Gender Gap

The gap between men and women widens with age:

• Gen Z: 12.1 points (25.2% vs 13.1%)

• Millennials: 16.7 points (25.6% vs 8.9%)

• Gen X: 23.2 points (28.0% vs 4.8%)

Possible explanations:

• Older women faced stronger social taboos against smoking

• Many women quit during family-formation years, while men continue

• Senior male-dominated roles may carry higher stress and social pressure to use

3. From Social Habit to Daily Dependence

For men, daily use rises sharply with age, even though total usage stays level:

• Gen Z males: 9.0% daily, 16.2% occasional

• Millennial males: 10.5% daily, 15.1% occasional

• Gen X males: 13.7% daily, 14.2% occasional

This shift shows how occasional “social” use early in careers hardens into daily dependence by senior years, precisely when these leaders should model healthier choices.

4. The Millennial Male Hotspot

Millennial men may not have the highest percentage, but they are the largest problem in absolute terms. At 25.6% usage across 1,573 respondents, they represent about 26 million urban professionals nationwide—the single biggest nicotine-using group in India’s workforce. With more than 10% already daily users, they are on track to surpass Gen X rates as they age.

5. Women’s Generational Split

Female usage tells a different story:

• Gen Z females: 13.1%

• Millennial females: 8.9%

• Gen X females: 4.8%

Gen Z women use nicotine at nearly three times the rate of Gen X women, hinting at fading social deterrents and rising acceptance. If this trend is a true cohort effect, India may see a future wave of higher female nicotine use.

Geographic Hotspots – Bangalore Tops the Charts

When we break nicotine use down by city, one result stands out: Bangalore leads the nation’s major metros in total usage—a finding that runs counter to its reputation as India’s innovation hub.

City Rankings by Total Nicotine Use (% of respondents using nicotine products)

1. Bangalore – 21.4% (n=737) – India’s Silicon Valley also leads in substance use

2. Mumbai – 18.7% (n=571) – Financial capital’s high-stress culture on display

3. Pune – 18.5% (n=558) – Education and IT hub mirrors Bangalore’s patterns

4. Chennai – 18.2% (n=77) – Tradition meets modern health risks

5. Hyderabad – 17.1% (n=363) – Pharma capital emerges as lowest among major metros

Why This Matters Bangalore’s position at the top should serve as a wake-up call to every technology company. The city most associated with India’s innovation economy is also showing the highest rates of a habit that:

• Reduces cognitive performance

• Increases absenteeism

• Shortens productive career spans

If left unaddressed, this pattern risks undermining the very talent advantage that fuels the city’s and the nation’s economic growth.

The Stress-Nicotine Death Spiral

Our data reveals a clear correlation between workplace stress and nicotine dependence—a vicious cycle that compounds both problems rather than solving either.

The Stress–Nicotine Feedback Loop Our data shows a strong link between workplace stress and nicotine use—forming a self-reinforcing cycle that harms both mental health and productivity.

Stress Scores by Nicotine Use

• Never users – Average stress: 5.4/10 | High stress (7+/10): 35.4%

• Occasional users – Average stress: 5.8/10 | High stress: 43.4%

• Daily users – Average stress: 6.1/10 | High stress: 46.8%

The Vicious Cycle High-stress work drives some professionals toward nicotine as a quick coping mechanism. But nicotine dependence increases baseline stress through:

• Withdrawal symptoms between uses

• Disrupted sleep and recovery

• Health concerns and anxiety tied to addiction

The result: nearly half of daily users experience severe stress, compared to just over one-third of non-users.

The Alcohol Amplifier – When Risks Multiply

Our data reveals a striking clustering of high-risk behaviors: nicotine and alcohol use often go hand-in-hand, reinforcing each other in ways that accelerate health decline.

The Clustering Effect

• Among alcohol consumers: 42.4% also use nicotine (564 of 1,329 respondents)

• Among non-consumers: Only 6.7% use nicotine (142 of 2,107 respondents)

This means professionals who drink are six times more likely to also use nicotine. These aren’t isolated habits—they’re interconnected addictions that magnify:

• Cardiovascular risk

• Liver strain

• Cancer likelihood

Treating nicotine and alcohol use as separate problems misses the bigger picture. For meaningful results, interventions must address substance use clusters together, not in isolation.

India Falling Behind Health Leaders

When we benchmark India's urban professionals against global patterns, the results challenge our assumptions about health-conscious youth.

International comparison (2020-2022 data):

• India overall: 28.6% of adults use tobacco products (Global Adult Tobacco Survey India 2016-17)

• Our urban professionals: 20.5% nicotine use (tobacco + vape)

• Singapore: 16.5% smoking rate (2020)

• Japan: 20.1% smoking rate (2020)

• Global average: About 1 in 5 adults (20%) worldwide consume tobacco (WHO 2024)

Quantifying the Workforce Cost

The financial implications of widespread nicotine use among professionals extend far beyond individual health costs, with substantial evidence documenting both direct and indirect economic burdens.

Productivity Impact:

Research consistently demonstrates significant workplace costs associated with smoking. The total productivity loss due to tobacco use in the U.S. is estimated to be as high as $151 billion per year, with an estimated cost of $5,816 per year per smoking employee when compared to a non-smoking employee.

Smokers average a 31% higher sick-leave rate compared to non-smokers, and take, on average, almost three more sick days per year than non-smokers according to the journal Addiction. Multiple studies confirm that current smokers reported greater absenteeism and presenteeism than former and never smokers across multiple geographic regions including the US, European Union, and China.

Healthcare Cost Evidence:

The economic costs attributed to tobacco use from all diseases in India in the year 2017-18 for persons aged 35 years and above amounted to INR 177,341 crore (USD 27.5 billion). This represents direct healthcare expenditures and does not include the broader productivity losses detailed above.

Life Expectancy Impact:

The health literature consistently shows substantial reductions in life expectancy among smokers. Long-term average cigarette smoking reduces life expectancy by 7 years and long-term heavy cigarette smoking reduces life expectancy by 9 years. Adults (aged 35+) who continue to smoke throughout their lives experience a substantial reduction in life expectancy, though stopping smoking early in adulthood can avoid most of that reduction.

National Scale Economic Impact:

Extrapolating these patterns to India's estimated 500 million urban workforce:

• 103 million professionals with compromised health trajectories

• Productivity costs comparable to international patterns documented above

• Healthcare cost multipliers of 2-3x based on tobacco-related disease patterns

• Shortened earning potential due to premature health decline, documented in multiple longitudinal studies

The Price of a Decade Lost

Smoking removes years from both life expectancy and career longevity.

Research shows that long-term smokers lose an average of seven years of life, while heavy smokers lose nine.

For the 8.2% of India’s urban workforce who are daily users—an estimated 41 million people—that’s between 287 and 369 million healthy working years taken from the nation’s economic potential.

This scale of loss demands attention. When millions of skilled professionals stand to forfeit nearly a decade of their most productive years, the consequences reach innovation, growth, and the country’s competitive future.

The opportunity is equally clear. Evidence from international studies shows that quitting reverses much of this damage far faster than most realize.

Former smokers quickly approach the productivity levels of never-smokers, and those who quit within the past four years already show lower absenteeism, less presenteeism, and reduced activity impairment compared to those still smoking.