Kolkata

Is Kolkata safe?

Yes, and on paper it is the safest of India's big cities. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) counted 84 cases per 100,000 residents in Kolkata in 2024, the lowest of 19 big cities, and 57 murders. Violent crime against visitors is rare. What wears people down here is the air in winter, the crowds, the traffic, and the monsoon and cyclone seasons.

We score Kolkata 67 out of 100, level with Mumbai and a point below Chennai. It loses most of its points for air quality and weather. Our India page covers travel elsewhere in the country.

Why the crime numbers are so low

Kolkata's police figures are low by any measure. NCRB counted 57 murders in 2024, 0.4 per 100,000 on the 14.1 million population it uses for the city, and 975 thefts, against 10,854 in Mumbai. Recorded crime has hardly changed in three years: 11,038 cases in 2022 and 11,864 in 2024.

Treat those numbers with some care. NCRB divides Kolkata's cases by 14.1 million, the 2011 census population of the whole urban area, but the cases come from Kolkata Police, which does not cover Howrah or other suburbs with their own police forces. On the population Kolkata Police actually serves, every rate on this page would be roughly two to three times higher, putting murder at about 1 per 100,000, close to Chennai's 1.2. Murders have also risen, from 34 in 2022 to 57 in 2024. And NCRB notes in every city table that cities should not be compared on crime figures alone, because what gets registered differs from place to place.

Women's safety and nights out

Kolkata recorded 1,958 crimes against women in 2024, a rate of 28.8 per 100,000 women, second lowest of the 19 cities after Chennai and far below Delhi's 176.8, though the same population caveat applies. A 2025 survey told a different story: the private firm Pvalue Analytics asked 12,770 women in 31 cities how safe they feel, and the report, released by the National Commission for Women in August 2025, put Kolkata among the lowest-rated cities, The Tribune reported. And on 9 August 2024 a trainee doctor was raped and murdered in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College; a Sealdah court sentenced the accused to life imprisonment in January 2025.

The UK Foreign Office (FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary) says women travellers in India often face verbal and physical harassment and advises against travelling alone or hailing taxis on the street at night. In practice:

• Book Uber, Ola or a hotel car after dark and share the trip with someone.
• Keep your bag in front of you in crowds at Howrah and Sealdah stations, on buses and at festivals.
• Do not accept food or drinks from strangers; the FCDO reports spiked drinks used to rob travellers.
• Ignore people at stations offering tickets or tours, which the FCDO also flags.

Air and health

Air is Kolkata's main health risk. The Central Pollution Control Board's continuous monitors averaged about 45 µg/m³ of PM2.5PM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), nine times the WHO guideline of 5 and above India's own standard of 40. Winter is far worse: monthly averages reached 100 in January 2024 and 96 in December 2025, while the monsoon months were near 20.

If you have asthma, heart or lung disease, are pregnant or travel with small children, prefer March to October. In winter, wear an N95 mask on busy roads and keep car windows shut. Tap water is not safe, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary lists dengue and malaria among India's health risks; use repellent at dawn and dusk, especially after the rains.

Cyclones, monsoon and roads

Kolkata sits close to the Bay of Bengal, where the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says cyclones form from April to June and September to December. Cyclone Remal in May 2024 dropped about 150 mm of rain on the city in a day, killed a man when a wall collapsed, uprooted 68 trees, disrupted the Metro's north-south line for four and a half hours and shut the airport for 21 hours, according to PTI. Ordinary monsoon storms from June to September also leave streets waterlogged. Do not wade through floodwater, which can hide open drains and fallen cables.

The roads are less deadly than most Indian cities'. The road transport ministry (MoRTH) counted 191 road deaths in 2024, 37th of 50 million-plus cities and about half Mumbai's count. Traffic is still dense and chaotic, so cross at signals, use the Metro for longer trips and avoid walking along fast roads at night.

How we scored it

Violent crime (88) is Kolkata's strongest factor, on very low recorded murder figures. Theft and scams (70), night safety (66) and traffic (60) are middling to good; on a fair population base, the roads are about as deadly as Mumbai's. Health and environment (48) is the weakest, for winter smog, and natural hazards (52) reflects cyclones and monsoon flooding.