According to a study published in The Lancet Public Health, the number of deaths related to exposure to secondhand smoke in India has significantly increased. Over the period since 1990, mortality has risen by almost 50%, reaching 325,600 cases in 2023 alone.
The study showed that in 2023, India ranked second globally in the number of people exposed to secondhand smoke, surpassed only by China. The total number of Indians affected by this exposure was 444 million people.