Archive · 2 Nov 2025
Bengaluru and Chennai Slip in India's Dirtiest Cities Rankings; Delhi Ranks Higher Than Mumbai
Imagine a big report card for cities in India that grades them on how clean they are.
This year, Bengaluru, which is famous for computers, and Chennai, a big city, got lower grades and are now considered among the dirtiest.
Even though Delhi is a very busy capital city, it did better than Mumbai in this cleanliness test.
The report shows that even with efforts to keep cities clean, it's still hard to manage trash and keep everything tidy, especially in fast-growing cities.
Some smaller cities, however, are doing a great job and are very clean.
This report helps everyone see where cities need to improve their cleaning and trash systems.
Bengaluru ranked as the fifth dirtiest city among those with over one million population in the Swachh Survekshan 2025 report.
Chennai ranked as the third dirtiest city, with Madurai also listed among the dirtiest.
Delhi achieved a higher cleanliness score than Greater Mumbai in the latest rankings.
The report highlights challenges in waste management, including unsegregated garbage and weak enforcement, despite ongoing cleanliness campaigns.
While major cities struggle, mid-sized cities like Indore and Surat continue to be recognized as India's cleanest.
- Who
- Indian cities, specifically Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai, as per the Swachh Survekshan 2025 report.
- What
- A report ranking cities based on sanitation and waste management, highlighting significant drops for Bengaluru and Chennai, and noting Delhi surpassing Mumbai in cleanliness.
- When
- The findings are from the Swachh Survekshan 2025 report.
- Where
- India, focusing on major metropolitan and mid-sized cities.
- Why
- The report indicates challenges in urban sanitation and waste management due to factors like rapid unplanned expansion, inconsistent waste management, unsegregated garbage, clogged drains, weak enforcement, and poor citizen participation.
- Report Name
- Swachh Survekshan 2025
- Bengaluru's Rank (Dirtiest)
- 5th
- Chennai's Rank (Dirtiest)
- 3rd
- Delhi's Score
- 7,920
- Greater Mumbai's Score
- 7,419
- Madurai's Score
- 4,823