In September 2025, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), released a report titled “Crime in India 2023”. As per the report, Kolkata (West Bengal, WB) has been named India’s safest city in 2023 for the fourth consecutive year, with a crime rate of 83.9 cognizable offences per lakh population.
- Kochi (Kerala) has become the most unsafe city in India with a crime rate of 3,192.4.
- The national average crime rate in India stood at 433 cases per lakh population, , reflecting the overall incidence of cognizable offences across India.
Exam Hints:
- What? Crime in India 2023 Report Released
- Edition: 71st
- By: NCRB
- Safest City: Kolkata (West Bengal, WB) (83.9)
- Most Unsafe City: Kochi (Kerala) (3,192.4)
- National Average Crime Rate: 433 cases per lakh population
About Crime in India Report:
Overview: It is the oldest and the most prestigious publication released by NCRB, providing comprehensive data on reported crimes from across India. It was first published in 1953.
Edition: The 2023 edition marks the 71st edition of Crime in India and is based on data collected from 36 States and Union Territories (UTs).
- According to the NCRB 2023 report, crime data was collected from 19 metropolitan cities across India. These include Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat; Bengaluru in Karnataka; Chennai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu(TN); Delhi in the National Capital Territory of Delhi; Ghaziabad, Kanpur, and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh(UP); Hyderabad in Telangana; Indore in Madhya Pradesh(MP); Jaipur in Rajasthan; Kochi and Kozhikode in Kerala; Kolkata in WB; Mumbai, Nagpur, and Pune in Maharashtra; and Patna in Bihar.
Highlights of the Report:
Top 5 Safest Indian Cities in 2023:
| Rank | City | State | Crime Rate Per Lakh Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kolkata | West Bengal (WB) | 83.9 |
| 2 | Hyderabad | Telangana | 332.3 |
| 3 | Pune | Maharashtra | 337.1 |
| 4 | Mumbai | Maharashtra | 355.4 |
| 5 | Coimbatore | Tamil Nadu (TN) | 409.7 |
Performances of the top 10 safest cities in 2023:
Kolkata: The 2023 crime rate of Kolkata was lower with 11,843 cognizable cases than the rates in previous years such as 86.5 (12,212 cases) in 2022 and 103.5 (14,591) in 2021.
- The crimes against women have slightly declined to 1,746 cases in 2023, from 1,890 in 2022 and 1,783 in 2021.
Other top 10 cities: Hyderabad(Telangana), the second safest Indian city has been ranked behind with a difference of 248.4 crimes. Two cities of Maharashtra, such as Pune(3rd) and Mumbai(4th) have been ranked among the top 5 cities. Two cities from TN, such as Coimbatore(5th) and Chennai(6th) (419.8) have been ranked among top 10 cities.
- Other top 10 safest cities include Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh, UP) (449.1), Ghaziabad (UP) (482.6), Bengaluru (Karnataka) (806.2), and Ahmedabad (Gujarat) (839.3).
Progressed Cities: WB has outperformed several big states with a cognizable crime rate of 181.6, compared with the national average of 433. States such as Jharkhand with 161.1 crime rate, Nagaland (84.9), Sikkim (103.9), and Meghalaya (105.2) have shown significant progress.
Top 5 Most Unsafe Indian Cities in 2023:
| Rank | City | State | Crime Rate Per Lakh Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kochi | Kerala | 3,192.4 |
| 2 | New Delhi | Delhi | 2,105.3 |
| 3 | Surat | Gujarat | 1,377.1 |
| 4 | Jaipur | Rajasthan | 1,276.8 |
| 5 | Patna | Bihar | 1,149.5 |
About National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):
Director – Alok Ranjan
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established – 1986
