Mobile most-owned home item in India, more than beds, mattresses: National Family Health Survey

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, May 10

Mobile phones are the most-possessed household item in India, more than beds, mattresses, chairs and tables.

The latest round of National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-2021) throws light on home consumption patterns in the country revealing that 93.3 per cent Indian households have a mobile phone — more than nine in every ten.

Mobile phone ownership surpasses that of the other 21 listed household items covered by the Survey.

The trend reflects a rapid growth in cell phone penetration and digitisation across India.

A near equal proportion of rural and urban households own a cell phone, representing the uniform spread of the smartphone revolution in India. While 96.7 per cent urban households reported having a mobile phone, 91.5 per cent rural homes said they had one.

In 2021, global data showed China had more mobile phone users than any other country at 950 million followed by India at 492.78 million.

NFHS 5 further shows bed/cot is the second most-owned household possession nationally with 89.4 per cent homes owning one; followed by electric fan (88.3 per cent); chair (83.5 per cent); clock (77.2 per cent); mattress (72.6 per cent); pressure cooker (68.2 per cent); any television (67.8 per cent); colour TV (66.7 per cent) internet (48.8 per cent); and refrigerator 37.9 per cent.

The least-owned home items are a thresher (1.4 per cent households had one); tractor (2.9 per cent); and a landline phone (2.3 per cent).

Another highlight of the Survey is that north Indian states/ UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh lead national charts on ownership of household items including air conditioner and refrigerator — key to fighting the prevailing heat wave conditions.

Nationally, 23.7 per cent Indian households have an air conditioner (39.5 per cent urban and 15.8 per cent rural) – up from 18 per cent in NFHS 4 2015-2016.

Chandigarh has the highest proportion of homes (77.9 per cent) owning an AC in India followed by Delhi (74.3 per cent), Punjab (70.2 per cent), Haryana (61.8 per cent) and Rajasthan (53.6 per cent). Meghalaya with 0.7 per cent households possessing an AC has the lowest proportion of homes with this item in the country, with all other north-eastern states in the same low-AC ownership bracket with less than 3 per cent houses possessing one.

India-wide, 37.9 per cent households (63.4 per cent urban and 25.2 per cent rural) have a refrigerator as against 30 per cent counted in NFHS 4 in 2015.

Punjab has the highest percentage of households (87.2 per cent) owning a refrigerator in India followed by Goa 87 per cent, Chandigarh 85.7 per cent, Lakshadweep 80.5 per cent, Puducherry 79.2 per cent, Delhi 77.4 per cent, Kerala 75.8 per cent, Mizoram 72.7 per cent, Haryana 72.5 per cent, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 66.3 per cent and Himachal 67.5 per cent.

Only 7.5 per cent houses report owning a car

Bicycle is the most-owned means of transport in Indian homes with 50.5 per cent households possessing one (43 per cent in urban and 54.2 per cent in rural areas), followed by motorcycle or scooter at 49.7 per cent and car at 7.5 per cent.

95.1 per cent houses have a bank account

As many as 95.1 per cent Indian households said they have a bank or a post office account (95.3 per cent in urban and 95.9 per cent in rural India); 41 per cent are covered by a health insurance scheme and 45.1 per cent have BPL cards.