What Do People Buy on Dhanteras and Diwali? Trends and Data
What do Indians shop for during Dhanteras and Diwali? Explore popular purchases, consumer preferences, gold and silver buying trends, and festive shopping insights backed by data.
On Dhanteras, Indians spend most on gold and silver. In 2025, jewellery and coins made up about 60% of all Dhanteras trade, as per the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). Utensils and kitchen appliances came next at about 15%, then electronics at about 10%. Puja items, sweets, clothes and vehicles made up the rest.
What people buy within those categories is changing fast. Gold coins and bars are gaining on heavy jewellery, silver had a very strong festive season in 2025, and lighter jewellery is replacing heavy sets.
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Key Dhanteras and Diwali Buying Stats
- Gold and silver were about 60% of Dhanteras trade in 2025 (CAIT).
- Utensils, kitchenware and appliances were about 15%, and electronics about 10% (CAIT, 2025).
- Gold bars and coins demand in India's October to December quarter rose every year from 2023 to 2025, while jewellery demand fell every year (World Gold Council data).
- Silver coin sales rose about 35% to 40% on Dhanteras 2025, as per the All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC).
- Car deliveries: Maruti Suzuki expected about 51,000 deliveries over Dhanteras 2025, up about 23% on the year before.
- Indian-made products: 87% of consumers chose Indian-made products in the 2025 festive season, as per CAIT's survey.
The Dhanteras Shopping Basket: What Indians Spend On
CAIT, which surveys traders across the country, gave this breakdown of Dhanteras trade on 18 October 2025:
| Category | Share of Dhanteras trade (2025) |
|---|---|
| Gold and silver jewellery and coins | About 60% |
| Utensils, kitchenware and kitchen appliances | About 15% |
| Electronic and electrical goods | About 10% |
| Dry fruits, sweets, fruits, clothes, vehicles and other items | About 12% |
| Decorative items, lamps and puja materials | About 3% |
Shares are worked out from CAIT's category estimates for Dhanteras 2025.
What this tells us: precious metals are not just the most symbolic Dhanteras purchase, they are where most of the money goes. Even the "small" categories, like lamps and puja items, still add up to large sales because so many households buy them.
CAIT's list of traditional Dhanteras purchases includes gold, silver, utensils, kitchenware, vehicles, brooms, electronic goods, idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha, clay lamps and puja materials. Mobiles, laptops and tablets are a newer addition.
Gold: Coins and Bars Are Gaining on Jewellery
Gold is still the heart of Dhanteras, but what form people buy it in is shifting.
The World Gold Council (WGC) tracks India's gold demand each quarter. The October to December quarter covers Dhanteras, Diwali and the start of the wedding season. Here is how it has moved:
| October to December | Jewellery demand | Bar and coin demand |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 219.9 tonnes | 56.4 tonnes |
| 2023 | 199.6 tonnes | 66.7 tonnes |
| 2024 | 189.8 tonnes | 76.0 tonnes |
| 2025 | 145.3 tonnes | 96.0 tonnes |
Figures from the World Gold Council's Gold Demand Trends reports.
In three years, festive-quarter jewellery demand fell by about a third, while bar and coin demand rose by about 70%. Bars and coins went from about one-fifth of festive-quarter demand to about two-fifths.
Why the shift?
- Record prices. As gold prices hit new highs, buyers chose coins, where they pay mostly for the gold itself, over jewellery, where making charges add to the cost.
- Investment thinking. Many buyers now see Dhanteras gold as savings as well as tradition. Coins are simpler to resell than jewellery.
- Small sizes. Coins from about 1 gram upwards let families keep the tradition at almost any budget.
On Dhanteras 2025, the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) told Reuters that jewellery demand was down nearly 30% from a year earlier, while coins and bars were "flying off the shelves". If you are choosing between the two, our comparison of gold coins vs jewellery explains which one pays you back better.
Popular gold buys on Dhanteras now include small gold coins, gold bars and Lakshmi-Ganesh coins, alongside lightweight jewellery.
Silver: The Fastest-Growing Dhanteras Buy
Silver has always been a Dhanteras favourite, especially for coins, idols and utensils. In 2025, silver demand surged at Dhanteras.
- Silver coin sales rose about 35% to 40% on Dhanteras 2025, as per GJC.
- Silver sales nearly doubled in value, mostly because silver prices were much higher than a year earlier.
- Silver coins and puja items were among the strongest sellers, according to GJC's chairman.
- A physical shortage: in October 2025, silver in India traded at about 10% to 12% above import prices, far above the usual small premium. Several mutual fund houses paused new lump-sum investments in their silver fund-of-funds for a while, though monthly SIPs continued.
Why silver is so popular on Dhanteras:
- It is far more affordable than gold, so families can buy more weight for a smaller spend.
- Silver idols and coins of Lakshmi and Ganesh are used in the Diwali puja and kept for years.
- Silver utensils, such as a small glass, bowl or plate, are traditional gifts and puja items.
- Silver payal and anklets are popular purchases for women in many Indian families.
Utensils, Brooms, Dhaniya and Puja Items
Beyond gold and silver, several low-cost items are bought on Dhanteras in almost every home. Each has a reason behind it:
| Item | Why it is bought on Dhanteras |
|---|---|
| Utensils (steel, brass, copper or silver) | Linked to the pot of amrit that Lord Dhanvantari carried. Copper, silver and steel utensils are seen as auspicious |
| Broom (jhadu) | Believed to sweep away poverty and bad luck and welcome Goddess Lakshmi |
| Whole coriander seeds (dhaniya) | Seen as a sign of growth and prosperity. Some families offer them to Lakshmi, keep them with money, or sow them after Diwali |
| Lakshmi-Ganesh idols | Bought for the Diwali Lakshmi Puja two days later |
| Clay lamps (diyas) | For the Yama Deepam on Dhanteras evening and for lighting the home on Diwali |
| Puja materials | Roli, rice, flowers, sweets and other items for the Lakshmi-Kubera puja |
There is no official sales data for brooms or coriander seeds, though both are common, low-cost Dhanteras purchases. For the stories behind these customs, read why Indians buy gold on Dhanteras.
Vehicles and Electronics: The Big-Ticket Dhanteras Buys
Dhanteras is considered a lucky day for big purchases, so many families time car, two-wheeler and appliance purchases for it.
Vehicles:
- Maruti Suzuki expected about 51,000 deliveries over the two days of Dhanteras 2025, against about 41,500 a year earlier, a rise of about 23%.
- Industry reports estimated that more than 1 lakh cars were likely to be delivered across India over the two days of Dhanteras 2025.
- Over the full 42-day festive period in 2025, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) reported vehicle retail sales of about 52.4 lakh units, up 21%. Two-wheeler sales rose 22% and passenger vehicle sales 23%.
2025 was an unusual year for vehicles, because GST rate cuts on many vehicles came into effect on 22 September 2025, right at the start of the festive season.
Electronics: CAIT puts electronics and electrical goods at about 10% of Dhanteras trade. Smartphones, televisions, laptops, refrigerators and washing machines are common buys, helped by festive sales and offers.
How Much Gold Is Sold on Dhanteras?
Many people ask this, but the answer comes only from trade-body estimates. These use different methods and cover different things, so they are not directly comparable from year to year:
| Dhanteras | Estimated gold sold | Estimated silver sold | Estimated by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | About 39 tonnes | Not reported | IBJA |
| 2023 | About 41 tonnes | About 400 tonnes | All India Jewellers and Goldsmith Federation (AIJGF) |
| 2024 | About 25 tonnes | About 250 tonnes | AIJGF and CAIT |
| 2025 | About 50 to 60 tonnes of jewellery, over two days | Silver sales nearly doubled in value | GJC |
Two things to keep in mind:
- Volume and value tell different stories. In 2025, GJC first said gold volumes were down about 10% to 15% from the year before, and later said they were roughly level with the year before. Either way, the value of sales rose sharply because prices were much higher, so people spent far more without buying more gold by weight.
- Estimates conflict. For 2022, IBJA estimated about 39 tonnes, while a GJC statement the following year implied about 22 tonnes. Treat any single Dhanteras tonnage figure as a rough estimate.
For how gold and silver prices moved over the same years, read gold and silver prices on Dhanteras from 2022 to 2026.
Diwali Season: What Else Families Buy
Dhanteras starts the Diwali shopping, but the wider festive season, from Navratri to Diwali, covers far more categories. In its October 2026 forecast for this year's festive season, CAIT gave these shares of expected trade:
| Category | Expected share of festive trade (2026) |
|---|---|
| Groceries | About 12% |
| Gold, bullion and jewellery | About 10% |
| Electronics and electrical goods | About 8% |
| Consumer durables | About 7% |
| Readymade garments | About 7% |
| Gift items | About 7% |
| Packaging | About 3% to 4% |
The rest is spread across other goods and services.
Popular Diwali buys include:
- Gifts for family and friends: sweets, dry fruits, gift hampers, silver coins and jewellery.
- New clothes for Lakshmi Puja and family gatherings.
- Home decor: lights, rangoli, diyas, torans and flowers.
- Jewellery to wear: lightweight festive pieces like gold earrings, jhumkas and necklace sets.
Buying Indian-made: in CAIT's 2025 festive survey, 87% of consumers said they chose Indian-made products, and traditional markets accounted for about 85% of sales.
How Dhanteras Buying Has Changed: 6 Trends
Putting the data together, here is how Dhanteras shopping has changed in recent years:
- Coins and bars over heavy jewellery. Festive-quarter bar and coin demand rose every year from 2023 to 2025, while jewellery demand fell (WGC).
- A silver boom. Silver coins and puja items grew fastest in 2025, as buyers looked for an affordable auspicious metal (GJC).
- Lighter jewellery. WGC and CAIT both report a clear preference for lightweight pieces, so families can keep the tradition at a lower weight.
- Exchanging old gold. WGC's October 2026 update says that in the July to September quarter, old-gold exchange made up more than half of sales at some jewellers, as families traded in old jewellery for new pieces.
- Digital gold. Indians bought about 1.8 tonnes of digital gold through UPI apps in October 2025, a 45% rise from the month before (WGC). The jump came in the festive month, which suggests some buyers now choose digital gold for the occasion.
- Lower-carat and new materials. Some jewellery brands report growing sales of 14K and 18K gold and lab-grown diamond pieces at festive time. These are brand reports rather than market-wide data, but they point the same way: buyers want the look and the occasion at a lower cost.
For more on how metal prices reshaped jewellery buying, see our 2025 jewellery trends in review.
What These Trends Mean for You
If you are planning your own Dhanteras shopping, the data points to a few simple lessons:
- You don't need to buy big. A small coin, a silver idol or a light piece follows the tradition just as well, which is what many buyers are now doing.
- Choose the form for your purpose. Coins suit savings and puja. Jewellery suits wearing and gifting.
- Check what you buy. Make sure gold jewellery is BIS hallmarked with a HUID. Our complete guide to gold hallmarking in India shows how to verify it.
- Look at this year's conditions. Prices in 2026 have been unusually volatile. Read is Dhanteras 2026 a good time to buy gold or silver before you decide how much to buy.
Conclusion
Gold and silver still lead Dhanteras shopping by a wide margin, at about 60% of spending, followed by utensils, electronics and puja items. But the way Indians buy is changing: more coins, more silver, lighter jewellery and more old-for-new exchanges. If you are keeping the tradition this year, a Lakshmi-Ganesh coin or idol from our silver and gold idols and coins range is the classic Dhanteras buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What do people buy on Dhanteras?
Most people buy gold or silver, in the form of jewellery, coins, bars or idols. Other common purchases are utensils, brooms, coriander seeds, Lakshmi-Ganesh idols, clay lamps, puja items, electronics and vehicles.
2. What is the most bought item on Dhanteras?
Gold and silver. As per CAIT, gold and silver jewellery and coins made up about 60% of all Dhanteras trade in 2025.
3. How much gold is sold on Dhanteras in India?
Estimates vary by trade body and year. AIJGF estimated about 41 tonnes in 2023 and about 25 tonnes in 2024. For 2025, GJC estimated about 50 to 60 tonnes of jewellery over two days. These are rough trade estimates, not official figures.
4. Are people buying more gold coins than jewellery on Dhanteras?
The trend is moving that way. World Gold Council data shows India's bar and coin demand in the October to December quarter rose every year from 2023 to 2025, while jewellery demand fell. On Dhanteras 2025, IBJA said jewellery demand was down nearly 30%.
5. Why is silver so popular on Dhanteras?
Silver is traditional and far more affordable than gold, so families can buy coins, idols and utensils for the puja at a lower cost. GJC reported silver coin sales up about 35% to 40% on Dhanteras 2025.
6. Why do people buy utensils on Dhanteras?
In Hindu tradition, Lord Dhanvantari rose from the churning of the ocean holding a pot of amrit on this day, and buying new utensils on Dhanteras is linked to this story. Steel, brass, copper and silver utensils are seen as auspicious new additions to the home.
7. Why do people buy a broom on Dhanteras?
A new broom is believed to sweep away poverty and bad luck and welcome Goddess Lakshmi. It is a common folk custom in many parts of India.
8. Do people buy cars on Dhanteras?
Yes. Dhanteras is one of the biggest days for vehicle deliveries in India. Maruti Suzuki expected about 51,000 deliveries over Dhanteras 2025, and industry reports estimated that more than 1 lakh cars were likely to be delivered nationwide.
9. What do people buy for Diwali besides gold?
Families buy sweets, dry fruits, gift hampers, new clothes, home decor, lights, diyas, electronics and consumer durables. CAIT's 2026 forecast puts groceries, gold and jewellery, electronics, garments and gift items among the biggest categories.
10. Is digital gold popular on Dhanteras?
It is growing quickly. Indians bought about 1.8 tonnes of digital gold through UPI apps in October 2025, a 45% rise from the month before, as per the World Gold Council. Many families still prefer a physical coin or piece for the Diwali puja.
