How safe are Indian cities for women? When women go into a public space, many things run through their thoughts. For women, navigating in public space is comparable to a spy film in which they have to increase their surroundings: the time of day, the number of people around them, simple ways to get out and so on. Be it an open space, a shopping center or public transport, many factors have to be taken into account if they step outside. As it turns out, such behavior is not very unusual and not limited to some women, but is widespread among women in our cities. According to the Nari report published this year, 40% of women feel unsafe in cities.
The National Annual Report and the Index for Women Security (Nari) are published by the National Commission for Women (NCW). The chairman of the NCW, Vijaya Rahatkar, published Nari in 2025 on Thursday, August 28, 2025, in Delhi. In the survey, the survey rose that women evaluate their feeling of security in different locations. In this regard, they examined 12,770 women in 31 cities. The average nationwide value for security was 65%, and the cities were classified on the basis of this metric – high up, top, below or much below the national standard.
Nari report: Which factors determine the security of women in cities in India?
According to this year’s report, the Ten safest cities For women, Kohima, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. The best -placed city, Kohima, has an assessment of 82.9%, significantly above the national average. This is attributed to the participation of the active citizens and created a community structure that promotes common responsibility and inclusiveness. Visakhapatnam is the second highest city with an assessment of 79.5% due to its police measures, active surveillance systems and reliable infrastructures.
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Other cities that lie above the national average in the NARI report include similar reasons: civic engagement, robust infrastructure, effective police and surveillance systems, urban planning, integrative governance and reaction -fast law enforcement authorities. On the other hand, the lower rows of Patna, Jaipur, Faridabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Srinagar and Ranchi are occupied. While Ranchi has a score of around 44%, Delhi and Faridabad are around 42%.
While six out of ten women in their cities felt safe, various factors affected the ratings and differed depending on the time of day and location (workplace, public transport, neighborhoods). During the day, 86% of women stated that they felt safe, especially at institutions and jobs, but this was significant at night. This feeling of vulnerability at night was particularly worse in streets and public transport.
While the efficiency of the factors that were taken into account for safer cities contributed to the feeling of security of women, the inefficiency of these mechanisms caused weaker values for cities with lower rank. The limited reaction from law enforcement, the lack of effective police work, poor urban planning, the patriarchal norms and the broken infrastructure contributed to the fact that women in these cities were more susceptible.
When and where do women feel unsafe?
While six out of ten women in their cities felt safe, various factors affected the ratings and differed depending on the time of day and location (workplace, public transport, neighborhoods). During the day, 86% of women stated that they felt safe, especially at institutions and jobs, but this was significant at night. This feeling of vulnerability at night was particularly worse in streets and public transport. 91% of women stated that they felt safe at their workplace. However, almost half of them were not aware that their employer’s Posh policy (prevention of sexual harassment) or if they existed at their workplace at all. However, most found it effectively for those who were aware of. This indicates that awareness is as important as the legislation.
The deficit of trust: why women do not report crimes
When asked about harassment, 7% of women stated in 2024 that they were exposed to harassment. This statistics doubled to 14% to 14% in women between 18 and 24 years. They reported 38% and 29% of women as hotspots for harassment, some of the uncertain areas. These experiences ranged from Starring and Catcalling to unwanted touch.
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However, the Nari report says that only a third of women reported on these incidents. Alarmingly, the number of women who were bothered in the survey was 100 times higher than the number of cases listed by NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau). It is therefore important to integrate perception -based surveys and not only rely on official crime statistics, but also to understand that Lively experience of women.
A possible reason for the low reporting on crimes against women is the lack of trust in the authorities. Only 25% of women surveyed explained the trust that the authorities would take effective measures based on their symptoms. While 69% of women found that the Approval of the Approval was “somewhat appropriate”, around 30% of women also pointed out serious gaps. Under the specified cases (which are already low, a third), only 22% of these cases are officially registered, and serious measures are taken in 16% of the cases. This shows a toxic cycle that maintains a beneficial environment of crimes against women.
The strict results of Nari Report on the social costs of uncertain cities
During the publication of the Nari report, Vijaya RahatkarThe chairman of NCW said: “Security can not only be seen as a topic of law and order, but as one that affects every aspect of a woman’s life, be it your training, health, job opportunities or freedom of movement.” She also pointed out that women withdraw from the public when they feel unsafe. This is extremely worrying because it emphasizes the existing social state that actively discourages the participation of half of the population. By pushing women from public space, this limits their development area. It also limits its access to equal opportunities, which argues Rahatkar, also limits the scope of the development of the nation.
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This mechanism, which is used by women to withdraw and invite their presence in unpleasant environments, is a strong contrast to how men can confidently control public spaces. A ticket counter at the train station, a music concert arena or a queue for buying chai and Samosa in a small shop on the side of the road – these rooms do not create space for women. Women are either forced to push themselves through large crowds of non -excused men, or they are completely excluded.
A possible reason for the low reporting on crimes against women is the lack of trust in the authorities. Only 25% of women surveyed explained the trust that the authorities would take effective measures based on their symptoms. While 69% of women found that the Approval of the Approval was “somewhat appropriate”, around 30% of women also pointed out serious gaps.
Rahatkar underlines four dimensions of the security of women: physical, mentally, financially and digital. The experiences previously discussed indicate a need for a better infrastructure and community awareness in the physical space of the cities. It is also equally important to strengthen the security in the other dimensions, especially in a world that increasingly depends on technology.
The Nari report also recognized that the progress cities guarantee the safety of women, including the increased number of women as police officers and bus drivers, improved surveillance infrastructure and helplines for women. The chairman Rahatkar underlined the importance of the active participation of the citizens and the determination of the errors in the system. Prahallad Rout, Managing Director of Pvalue Analytics, hoped that this report would lead the governments to further improve the security of women. Pvalue Analytics is the company that has developed the Nari index. However, it is important to note that mere statistics do not determine the security of a city. True progress can only be made if women can control public spaces without concern and fear.
