Just One North Indian City Among India’s Top 10 for Women
From the Editor’s Desk
January 9, 2026
Just one city from North India features in the list of the country’s top 10 cities for women, according to a new nationwide index assessing inclusivity and career opportunities. The remaining nine are all located in the southern, western and eastern regions of the country.
Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune occupy the top three positions in the rankings, followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai. Gurugram, which is the only northern city to make it to the top 10, is sixth. The list was compiled from a ranking of 125 cities across the country in the “Top Cities for Women in India 2025” report by Avtar Group, a workplace inclusion consultancy focused on women’s participation in the Indian workforce.
The seventh to tenth spots are held by Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore respectively. Delhi, the capital, placed at number 11 in the index, while Jaipur was ranked 16th, Shimla 14th, and Jammu 21st, according to the report, which attributed the findings to a detailed analysis of the cities based on their gender inclusion potential and urban infrastructure.
The rankings were determined based on the City Inclusion Score, a composite of two indices, the Social Inclusion Score (SIS) and the Industrial Inclusion Score (IIS). These scores measure factors such as city liveability, safety, workforce representation, employment opportunity and access to education and healthcare.
The Social Inclusion Score considered indicators like literacy, safety, the number of women entrepreneurs and workforce participation, while the IIS looked at gender-inclusive organisations, career enablers and sector diversity.
Chennai recorded the highest Social Inclusion Score among all cities, while Bengaluru topped the Industrial Inclusion Score list. Hyderabad ranked fourth in both categories, showing near-parity across social and industrial inclusion. Pune maintained a balanced profile, with both Social Inclusion Score and Industrial Inclusion Score scores in the mid-40s to 60s, out of 100.
The northern city of Gurugram scored high in industrial inclusion due to concentrated corporate presence and state-led skilling schemes. However, its social inclusion metrics, including safety and affordability, remained weaker by comparison.
Thiruvananthapuram, Shimla and Tiruchirappalli were among the cities that ranked high in social inclusion but low in industrial inclusion. This indicates that despite strong education and safety infrastructure, these cities lack formal employment opportunities for women.
In contrast, Delhi, Noida and Gurugram scored high on industrial inclusion but did not feature in the top ten for social inclusion. Analysts found gaps in affordability, public mobility and access to care infrastructure in these cities.
Bengaluru, ranked first, has a City Inclusion Score of 53.29, the highest among all 125 cities. This means that even the top-performing city scores just over 50.
South India emerged as the most inclusive region overall, with an average City Inclusion Score of 21.60, followed by the west at 20.00. North India scored an average of 16.63, while central and eastern regions performed the lowest with scores of 14.62 and 12.36 respectively.
The report also tracked changes since 2022. Gurugram rose sharply from rank 33 in 2022 to rank 6 in 2025. Indore climbed from 58th to 22nd position. Delhi improved from 20th place in 2023 to 11th in 2025. Bengaluru held its number one position for the second consecutive year.
The report’s authors noted that urban infrastructure alone does not guarantee inclusion unless accompanied by policies that ensure women’s safety, education access, public mobility and career continuity.
Each city was evaluated based on publicly available government data and Avtar’s own field research. The report assigns weight to both lived experiences and structural enablers in calculating the final scores.
Among the top 25 cities, 11 are from the southern region, including six from Tamil Nadu alone. Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Salem, Vellore and Erode all featured in the top 25.
Ahmedabad and Mumbai are the highest-ranked cities in the west, while Kolkata is the only city from the east to appear in the top 10. Other cities in the north and central zones, such as Lucknow, Kanpur and Bhopal, did not rank in the top 40.
Final rankings for the top ten cities are as follows: Bengaluru (1), Chennai (2), Pune (3), Hyderabad (4), Mumbai (5), Gurugram (6), Kolkata (7), Ahmedabad (8), Thiruvananthapuram (9), and Coimbatore (10).
Looking at the scores, we can say that India’s urban environments remain only partially enabling for women, even in the best-ranked cities. The data suggests that no Indian city currently offers a fully inclusive ecosystem for women’s career and daily life needs.
Regional averages reinforce this pattern of limited inclusion. The numbers indicate systemic gaps across the country, not just in industrial inclusion but also in social infrastructure like safety, healthcare, transport and caregiving support.
The national picture reflects a fragmented and underdeveloped support system for women’s participation in public and economic life. The findings point to the need for comprehensive and sustained city-level strategies to make inclusion the norm rather than the exception.
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