Distillers India
A one-page guide to India for the spirits trade: the country, its people, its economy and how it drinks.
At a glance
- Capital
- New Delhi
- Official languages
- Hindi, English
- Currency
- Indian rupee (INR)
- Time zone
- UTC+5:30 (IST)
- Area
- 3,287,263 km²
People
- Population
- 1.5 billion (2025)
- Population growth
- 0.9% a year
- Living in towns and cities
- 35.7%
- Aged under 15
- 24.2%
- Aged 65 and over
- 7.4%
- Life expectancy
- 72.2 years
Economy
- GDP
- US$3.96 trillion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$2,702 (2025)
- Economic growth
- 7.57% (2025)
- Inflation
- 2.4% (2025)
Climate
Four main groups: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid and montane. The south-west monsoon from June to October brings most of the rain.
Alcohol
- Alcohol is
- Legal with dry areas
- Legal drinking age
- Set by each state/UT: 18 to 25 (see state pages)
- Alcohol per adult a year
- 5.04 litres of pure alcohol (2022)
- What people drink
- Beer 8%, spirits 92% (2016)
- Traditional drinks
- Feni (Goa, GI), Kallu / toddy (Kerala), Chhaang (Sikkim, Darjeeling), Chuak and hadia (rice beers)
Sources: World Bank (population, economy and demographics), WHO Global Health Observatory (alcohol per adult and drinking mix); Wikipedia - India; Wikipedia - Alcohol laws of India; Wikipedia - Prohibition in India; WHO country profile IND; The Spirits Business - Brand Champions 2026 top 10; The Daily Pour - Brand Champions 2023 top 50; Radico Khaitan press release June 2025; Outlook Business - India-UK FTA and Scotch. Figures are the latest each source publishes; the year is shown beside each one.