Which Indian Cities are the Most Unsafe for Women in 2025?

The National Annual Report & Index on Women’s Safety (NARI) 2025 has offered a revealing snapshot of how secure Indian cities truly are for women today.

The report surveyed 12,770 women across 31 cities, pegging India’s overall safety score for women at 65 per cent nationwide.

The index ranked cities across categories from “much above” to “much below” the benchmark, providing a detailed map of where women feel secure and where safety remains compromised.

The report was launched by National Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar.

She stressed that safety must not be seen only as a policing issue.

She explained that it affects “every aspect of a woman’s life, whether it is her education, health, work opportunities and freedom of movement.”

According to the survey, 60 per cent of women said they feel “safe” in their city.

However, 40 per cent admitted they feel “not so safe” or even “unsafe.”

This uneven picture suggests that gaps remain significant, with urgent work required to ensure all women can move freely and confidently across urban India.

The perception of safety plunged sharply at night.

Women reported heightened vulnerability when using public transport or visiting recreational spaces after dark.

Educational institutions fared better, with 86 per cent of women saying they felt safe, particularly during the daytime.

Confidence, however, declined once outside campuses or after sunset.

Among the safest cities for women in 2025 were Kohima, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar and Mumbai, where women’s reported experiences scored much higher than the national benchmark.

On the opposite end, Patna, Jaipur, Faridabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Srinagar and Ranchi emerged as the least safe cities for women, reflecting alarming gaps in protection.

Workplaces emerged as relatively safer spaces.

An impressive 91 per cent of women said they felt secure at work. Yet the picture was not without concern.

Almost half of women admitted they did not know whether their organisation had a Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) policy, raising questions about awareness and accountability.

The NARI 2025 report also revealed a worrying trust gap between women and authorities.

Only one in four believed safety complaints would be handled effectively.

While 69 per cent felt current measures were “somewhat adequate,” over 30 per cent identified serious flaws in systems designed to protect them in daily life.

Public harassment remained a major issue.

Seven per cent of women reported facing harassment in 2024, with figures rising to 14 per cent among those under 24.

Neighbourhoods were highlighted by 38 per cent of respondents as harassment hotspots, while 29 per cent pointed to public transport as particularly unsafe zones.

Underreporting continued to skew the picture.

Only one in three victims of harassment came forward, leaving official crime data far from reflective of women’s real experiences.

“Two out of three women do not report harassment, meaning NCRB misses the bulk of incidents,” the study said, urging integration of official crime data with surveys.

By combining lived experiences with recorded statistics, NARI 2025 has underscored the need for stronger, more responsive measures to ensure women’s safety across India’s cities.