New Delhi, August 28, 2025 — The National Annual Report and Index on Women’s Safety (NARI) 2025, released by the National Commission for Women (NCW), has revealed significant insights into the safety of women across Indian cities. Based on a comprehensive survey of 12,770 women across 31 cities, the report highlights both progress and challenges in ensuring women’s safety in urban areas. The national safety score stands at 65%, with cities categorized as “much above,” “above,” “at,” “below,” or “much below” this benchmark.

Safest Cities for Women

The NARI 2025 report identifies Kohima, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar, and Mumbai as the safest cities for women in India. These cities stand out due to their strong performance in gender equity, effective policing, women-friendly infrastructure, and high levels of civic participation. Notably, four Northeast capitals—Kohima, Aizawl, Gangtok, and Itanagar—feature prominently in the top rankings, reflecting their commitment to creating safer environments for women.

• Kohima: The capital of Nagaland leads the index, credited with robust civic engagement and women-friendly policies.
• Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar: These cities excel in infrastructure and policing, fostering a sense of security.
• Aizawl, Gangtok, and Itanagar: These Northeast cities benefit from strong community participation and equitable gender norms.
• Mumbai: The financial capital continues to rank high, with better gender equity and safety measures in place.

Least Safe Cities

In contrast, the report ranks Patna, Jaipur, Faridabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Srinagar, and Ranchi as the least safe cities for women. These cities face challenges such as weak institutional responsiveness, entrenched patriarchal norms, and inadequate urban infrastructure, including poor lighting and unreliable public transport after dark.

Key Findings

The NARI 2025 report goes beyond official crime statistics, which often fail to capture unreported incidents. Key findings include:

• Safety Perceptions: While 60% of women feel “safe” in their cities overall, 40% report feeling “not so safe” or “unsafe,” particularly at night. Safety perceptions drop sharply in public transport and recreational spaces after dark, with only 25% of women expressing confidence in authorities’ ability to address safety complaints effectively.
• Harassment Statistics: Seven percent of women reported experiencing harassment in 2024, with the figure rising to 14% for those aged 18–24. Common forms of harassment include staring, catcalling, lewd comments, and physical touching, primarily in neighborhoods (38%) and public transport (29%).
• Underreporting of Incidents: Only one in three women who faced harassment reported it to authorities, citing fear of further harassment or social stigma. This results in official records, such as those from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), missing the majority of incidents.
• Workplace Safety: While 91% of women feel safe at their workplaces, 53% are unaware of whether their workplace has a mandatory Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) policy. Where such policies exist, they are generally rated as effective.
• Day vs. Night Safety: Safety perceptions are high during the day, with 86% of women feeling secure in educational institutions. However, this confidence plummets at night, particularly in public spaces.

NCW Chairperson’s Remarks

Launching the report, NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar emphasized that women’s safety is not just a law-and-order issue but a multifaceted challenge impacting education, health, work opportunities, and freedom of movement. “When women feel unsafe, they limit themselves, and this not only hinders their personal development but also the country’s progress,” she said. Rahatkar highlighted four dimensions of women’s security—physical, psychological, financial, and digital—and called for coordinated efforts between policymakers, urban planners, and civil society.

She praised initiatives such as women’s helplines, CCTV networks, increased female representation in police forces, and improved safety measures at railway stations and bus depots. However, she stressed that societal responsibility is equally critical. “We often blame the system, but society must also ask what it has done—whether it’s using helplines, supporting awareness drives, or maintaining public facilities,” Rahatkar noted.

Implications and Recommendations

The NARI 2025 report underscores the gap between official crime data and women’s lived experiences, advocating for the integration of perception-based surveys with crime statistics. It calls for:

• Improved urban infrastructure, including better lighting and reliable public transport.
• Strengthened institutional responsiveness to address safety complaints effectively.
• Increased awareness and enforcement of POSH policies in workplaces.
• Community-driven initiatives to challenge patriarchal norms and promote gender equity.

The report, conceived by Pvalue Analytics in collaboration with The NorthCap University and Jindal Global Law School, and published by the Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA), serves as a critical benchmark for creating safer and more inclusive cities. As India aims to become a developed and inclusive nation, the NARI 2025 findings highlight the urgent need to address women’s safety holistically.

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