Chandigarh: India sold over 40 crore cases of ‘Indian Made Foreign Liquor’ in 2024-25, making it one of the largest and fastest growing liquor markets in the world. In this picture, Chandigarh — a union territory of just 12.5 lakh people — ranks 22nd in total sales. However, if these numbers are looked at in terms of population, the picture changes dramatically.
Chandigarh has emerged as one of the highest alcohol consuming regions in the entire country, with drinking rates far behind the national average and even surpassing the traditionally high-consumption states of the South. This was revealed by an analysis of data provided by the Chandigarh administration and compiled by the ‘Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies’. These figures tell the story of a compact, prosperous, urban area with extraordinary spending power, a liberal retail environment and strict regulatory enforcement.
Chandigarh's excise policy is built on three pillars — transparency, accountability and strict enforcement. Digital surveillance and movement of sales have strengthened our ability to detect violations early. UT DC-cum-Excise and Taxation Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said that enforcement action has been stepped up to prevent illegal trade from harming both legitimate revenue and public safety.
According to data from the 'Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies', national 'Indian Made Foreign Liquor' sales increased from 39.62 crore cases in 2023-24 to 40.17 crore cases in 2024-25 — a growth of 1.38%. The South decisively dominates this market, accounting for about 58% of all ‘Indian Made Foreign Liquor’ sold in the country. Karnataka alone sold 6.88 crore cases, Tamil Nadu 6.47 crore, Telangana 3.71 crore, Andhra Pradesh 3.55 crore and Kerala 2.30 crore cases.
Among the northern states, UP sold 2.51 crore cases (rank 6), Rajasthan 1.37 crore (rank 9) and Haryana 1.18 crore (rank 11). Delhi, despite its size, sold 1.18 crore cases, a decline of about 6% from the previous year. Maharashtra, India’s most populous and economically influential state, sold 2.72 crore cases and is at the 5th position.
The national and state-level figures quoted from the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies only reflect sales of ‘Indian Made Foreign Liquor’, which includes whisky, rum, brandy, gin, vodka and other spirits manufactured domestically as per international standards. They do not include imported foreign liquor or country liquor. On the other hand, the figures for Chandigarh by the UT administration cover all three categories—‘Indian Made Foreign Liquor’, imported foreign liquor and country liquor—and present a complete picture of the total consumption in the region. The figures become even more startling when all categories of liquor are aggregated. According to Chandigarh Administration data, the UT sold a total of over 23.02 lakh cases in 2025-26 — which included 17,39,329 cases of ‘Indian Made Foreign Liquor’, 1,18,518 cases of imported foreign liquor and 4,44,444 cases of country liquor. Against a total population of 12.5 lakh, this works out to about 1.84 total cases per capita per year. Against an adult population (15 years and above) of about 10 lakh, the total per capita consumption is about 2.3 cases per adult — about 28 bottles per adult annually.
Against a legally eligible population (25 years and above) of about 6.7 lakh, this figure comes to about 3.44 cases per eligible adult — or more than 41 bottles per eligible resident per year. This ratio places Chandigarh firmly among the regions with the highest per-capita consumption anywhere in India.