Bengaluru top Indian city for women, finds Avatar report

Bengaluru has overtaken Chennai as India’s top city for women, according to the third edition of ‘Top Cities of Women in India” (TWCI) report unveiled by workplace culture consulting firm, The Avtar Group. The city ranked second the year before.

The top 10 cities for women in 2024 are: Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Gurugram, and Coimbatore.

Key findings of the top cities for women in India 2024 report include:

• Cities in Tamil Nadu dominate the top 25, with eight cities from the state featuring in it—Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Vellore, Madurai, Salem, Erode and Tirupur.
• While Bengaluru has the highest industrial inclusion score, it finished third in the social inclusion score.
• Mumbai has demonstrated consistent progress, climbing from the fourth rank in 2023 to third in 2024.
• Gurugram has made a significant jump (from an overall positioning of 20 last year to a rank of 9 this year). This may be attributed to the impact of the rapid industrialisation in the region leading it to also become an employment hub, thus generating more opportunities for women.
• Many smaller cities feature in the top 25 including Tiruchirappalli, Vellore, Shimla, Gurugram, Tirupur, and Puducherry.
• The South has emerged as the most inclusive region, scoring comparatively higher in both social and industrial inclusion. It is closely followed by the West. The Central and Eastern regions lag due to limited industrial development and opportunities.
• While the industrial inclusion scores of northern cities like Delhi and Gurugram are high, there is scope for improvement in their social inclusion scores.
• Kerala led with the highest average City Inclusion Score of 20.89, followed by Telangana at 20.57, Maharashtra at 19.93, Tamil Nadu at 19.38, and Karnataka at 17.50.

Women’s ratings of cities:

• Skilling and employment: Gurugram is rated the highest by women. Among the bigger cities, Mumbai and Bengaluru scored highest in skilling and employment while Chennai, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram lag slightly behind.  
• Infrastructure: Hyderabad secured the highest score for infrastructure (a well-connected public transport system and other travel amenities). It is closely followed by Mumbai. Among the smaller cities, Coimbatore and Kochi score high in infrastructure.
• Efficiency of government bodies: Thiruvananthapuram and Pune top governance efficiency.
• Quality of life: Coimbatore, Pune, and Chennai reported the best quality of life. Gurugram scored relatively low (6.34), which may be attributed to environmental challenges.
• Safety: Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, and Hyderabad led in safety, while women rate Bengaluru (6.17), Kochi (6.02) and Gurugram (5.60) comparatively low in safety.

According to the press statement, 120 cities across India were considered for the study, based on their economic contribution to the country. The cities are ranked based on an overall ‘City Inclusion Score’ assigned to every city, inferred from Avtar’s research and existing governmental data. The City Inclusion Score is derived from three pillars—Social Inclusion Score, Industrial Inclusion Score, and Citizen Experience Score. 

The TCWI index identifies role model cities and best practices and provides a framework for organisations, policymakers and individuals to foster well-rounded development in our cities, which is a pivotal driver of women’s progress nationwide.

The index has been compiled by assimilating various data sources including the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE), the World Bank, crime records and the Periodic Labour Force Survey, along with Avtar’s primary research. Avtar’s research included FGDs and a nationwide survey that was conducted from February 2024 to November 2024 in which 1,672 women from 60 cities participated.

Speaking at the release event of the report’s findings, Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Founder-President Avtar Group, said, “To realise our dream of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, we need the Indian women professionals to succeed on par with men.  This is possible only if cities are truly gender-inclusive and offer an atmosphere where women’s strengths can be optimised. This means not just providing safe streets, accessible healthcare and education and affordable living to women, which are largely reparatory measures, but also competitive avenues for women’s economic success and opportunities for them to thrive as business leaders.”