Top 10 Safest Cities for Women in India: This City Retains No. 1 Spot, Know the Gurugram Rank

Bengaluru retains the No. 1 city across India for the leading workplace culture in the report released by Avtar Group. The report studies a longitudinal progressive analysis that followed how Indian cities enable women’s participation, safety and career growth and highlights the top model cities and their best practices. The report also highlighted India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and recognised women’s empowerment as a key pillar. The report also suggested the framework for organisations, policy and urban stakeholders to enable women's participation in the workforce and their career growth. 

Key Highlights of the Top Cities for Women in India(TCWI) Report: 

Based on the Avtar Group’s TCWI report, an aggregate score was calculated for each of the 125 cities across the country, based on the inclusivity and empowerment for women.

• Bengaluru retains its top city position for women in India in 2025 with a city inclusion score of 53.29, highlighting sustained strength in industrial inclusion and career growth, followed by Chennai (49.86), Pune (46.27), Hyderabad (46.04) and Mumbai (44.49). 
• Gurugram records notable upward movements by strengthening its position in 2025 compared to 2024, whereas the other cities from North India like Delhi and Noida, perform strongly on Industrial Inclusion but lag behind on Social Indicators such as safety, affordability and mobility.

 Top 10 Safest Cities for Working Women in India

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The study creates a City Inclusive Score (CIS) for a list of predetermined cities for 2025 by considering the 125 across India. Identified the cities for their inclusivity potential and ability to support a gender-equitable environment. The CIS is a composite of two pillars, namely:

1. Social Inclusion Score (SIS): it is a cumulative score of four indicators, which includes city liveability, safety, women’s representation in employment and women’s empowerment.

2. Industrial Inclusion Score (IIS): it is an industrial/business concept and evaluates the extent to which organisations in the city across industries are inclusive of women, which is based on three indicators: Inclusive Organisation, Inclusive Industries and Career Enablers. 

Source: https://www.avtarinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Avtar-Presents-Top-Cities-for-Women-in-India-2025-Report.pdf

Key Pillars of TCWI:

The TCWI report studies a year-long progressive analysis of governmental reports, corporate employment statistics and women's own experiences and aspirations. The 4th edition of the TCWI covers 125 cities 

• Sufficient job opportunities matching women’s skillset in the city

• Women’s safety

• Quality and affordable education 

• Safe and affordable accommodation 

• Safe and efficient public transport Reliable and affordable healthcare facilities 

• Opportunities for personal and professional growth 

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What is the women's labour force participation in India?

As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of women in India is at 35.1% in 2025 (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, 2025). Currently, India is the 4th largest economy in the world’s GDP and is set to rise a step higher by 2030 with a projected GDP of $7.3 trillion (Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 2025). To enhance women's participation in the economy, the central government has declared a 429% rise in gender budgets to encourage higher female workforce participation (Ministry of Labour and Employment, 2025).

However, India ranks 131st out of 148 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 by the World Economic Forum, with a gender parity score of 64.1%, down from 129th in 2024. As per the Avtar-Seramount Best Companies for Women in India, women will make up 36% of the Indian workforce in 2025, a figure that has come down by 1% since 2023 and 2024. Women contribute to 18% of India’s GDP despite being close to 50% of the population, and 90-94% are part of the informal sector. 

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