Indians popped 163 crore bottles of health supplements in May—enough to stack 75 Mount Everests

Syrups, capsules, and tablets made up the bulk of this consumption, reflecting a strong preference for easy-to-use formats.

Indians consumed nearly 163 crore bottles or strips of nutritional health supplements in May, the latest data shows. Stacked one on top of another, this would rise 75 times higher than Mount Everest, or nearly 30,000 times the height of the Burj Khalifa, considering each bottle or strip is 15cm in average height or length.

Syrups, capsules, and tablets made up the bulk of this consumption, reflecting a strong preference for easy-to-use formats. According to Pharmatrac data, India’s nutritional market was valued at Rs 20,747 crore as of May 2025 and in quantity sales, it sold 162.97 crore units.

“The nutritional market has almost 1.4 times of what it was five years back. Vitamins, nutraceuticals and calcium products contribute to this market and its growth," Sheetal Sapale, vice-president, commercial, at Pharmarack told News18. “If one looks at the quantity consumption, the market does not show any seasonality pattern. This indicates a general increase in demand over the years, rather than a season or disease condition-driven consumption pattern."

The data shows that the three largest categories—vitamins, nutraceuticals, and calcium supplements—account for over 80 per cent of the total nutritional market. The rest includes anti-oxidants, mineral supplements, appetite stimulants, biotin and combinations and caloric solutions.

According to Dr Sumit Ray, medical director at Delhi-based Holy Family Hospital, the rise in multi-vitamin sales can be attributed to both lifestyle changes and dietary gaps. “The increase in the sale of vitamins is probably due to a combination of factors. One is more awareness of health and fitness needs among the middle and upper class. The other reason is an increasing intake of fast food ordered through online food delivery platforms, leading to less balanced and nutritious diets, which may lead to more deficiencies".

Also, Ray noticed that “there is increased drive by the pharmaceutical industry to advertise and push the sales of these products, looking at what’s called the ‘wellness’ market".

What was once a supplementary or therapeutic product category seems to have now turned into a lifestyle mainstay. Over the last three years, many top pharma and FMCG players have entered or aggressively expanded into this space. These include Tata Consumer (with Tata GoFit), Micro Labs (Micro Wellness) P&G (Centrum), Nestlé–Dr. Reddy’s joint venture, Cipla Health (Endura Mass), HUL (OZiva, Wellbeing Nutrition), among many others.

From Doctor’s Desk To Daily Habit

What was once the domain of prescriptions has now become a household norm. “Vitamin, minerals and calcium tablets have quietly found their spot, often on top of the fridge or bedside in Indian homes, no longer seen as doctor-only advice but woven into daily routines and also easily available online," said Dr Maninder Dhaliwal, an expert in paediatric pulmonology at NCR-based Amrita Hospital.

Analysing the sales of the segment, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, chairman, research cell, Kerala State’s Indian Medical Association (IMA), noted a shift in user preference toward targeted formulations. “The sales of vitamins and minerals are trending to favour more targeted supplements such as those purportedly designed for specific purposes like bone health, ageing, hair loss, memory and beauty enhancement," he said.

The latest data shows that the vitamins, minerals and nutraceuticals sustained volume-led growth with particular combination drugs such as calcium with calcitriol and L-Methylfolate and L-Methylfolate with methycobalamin and pyridoxine. While the first combination is used for bone health, nerve support, and correction of nutritional deficiencies, the second helps to treat neuropathy, anaemia, and heart health.

This shows, Jayadevan said, as the profile of users changes over the years, there appears to be diminishing interest in non-specific, plain supplements such as “B-complex vitamins", which were popular many years ago.

“In the US, the supplement industry has such a strong hold that even perfectly healthy individuals commonly purchase them without a medical indication. India is likely to follow in that direction."

However, Dhaliwal cautioned against blind consumption driven by trends. “Here’s the honest truth, we ideally should not be swallowing these supplements just because a social media reel says it’s ‘life-changing.’ We should be listening to our bodies, reading our labs and talking to doctors."