In many ways India is one of the most amazing countries that you can travel to, BUT and this is a big but, because it is also developing at breakneck speed, there are also some places that are not all that nice.
From pollution to crime and overcrowding there are a lot of Indian cities that rank fairly low when it comes to many metrics. Essentially shit cities you really don’t want to nomad in.
I love India. I travel here a lot. But pretending everywhere is magical chai vibes and spiritual awakenings is bullshit. Some cities are objectively grim.
Click to read about the worst cities in China.
Table of Contents
Notes on “objectivity” for worst cities in India
There is no official “worst cities in India” list.
India ranks cities using different measurements. Air quality (AQI). Cleanliness via Swachh Survekshan. Crime stats via NCRB. Infrastructure, population density, sanitation access, slums per capita and basic livability.
No one combines these into a single ranking.
So this list uses a mix of:
Air pollution data
Cleanliness rankings
Crime statistics
Infrastructure quality
Population density
Personal experience travelling India extensively
If a city consistently scores badly across multiple categories, it makes the list.
Simple.
This is not about culture or history. This is about livability. Would you actually want to stay here long term without losing your sanity or lungs.
Now let’s count them down.
The 11 Worst cities in India
11. Kochi, Kerala
Overrated.
Yes Kerala is beautiful. Kochi itself is humid, dirty and chaotic. Crime figures are surprisingly high for a southern city and infrastructure struggles outside tourist zones.
Not the worst in India, but nowhere near as nice as people pretend.
10. Surat, Gujarat
Rich city. Ugly city.
Built around factories and diamond workshops with almost no concern for livability. Congested, polluted and regularly cited for high crime rates.
Unless you work in textiles or gems, there is no reason to be here.
9. Patna, Bihar
Patna feels stuck.
Power cuts, broken roads, awful sanitation and nonstop traffic chaos. Bihar is slowly improving but Patna remains one of the lowest ranked cities in India for basic services.
Living here is hard work.
8. Faridabad, Haryana
Delhi NCR overflow.
Consistently poor cleanliness rankings, bad air quality and rising crime. It has all the problems of Delhi with none of the culture or history.
Just commuter misery.
7. Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
High pollution, high population density and weak infrastructure.
Meerut regularly appears on worst AQI lists and offers absolutely nothing for travelers or digital nomads.
6. Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh
Small city, massive problems.
Brick kilns everywhere, weak healthcare and terrible air quality. Regularly listed among India’s most polluted places.
5. Hapur, Uttar Pradesh
Often worse than Delhi for air quality.
Industrial pollution, crop burning and almost no drainage or sanitation planning. One of the worst places in India to breathe.
4. Noida and Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Corporate towers surrounded by dust and chaos.
Looks modern until you step outside the office parks. High crime stats, horrific air quality and constant construction. Fake Dubai energy, real NCR problems.
3. Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
Frequently ranked the most polluted city in India.
Industrial waste, traffic fumes and extreme overcrowding. No tourism. No charm. Just smog.
2. Siliguri, West Bengal
Gateway to Sikkim and Darjeeling. Absolute dump itself.
Hot, dirty and packed with poverty and chaos, Siliguri is a grim transit city people tolerate only because they have to.
Compared to nearby hill towns it looks even worse.
Nobody stays here by choice. This is a transit town..
1. Delhi
Clear winner.
Severe pollution, high crime, biblical traffic and crushing population density. AQI regularly hits “severe”. Hospitals fill every winter with respiratory cases.
Yes it has history and great food and will probably make me unpopular, but truth is truth.
It is still one of the worst major cities on Earth for long term livability.
Conclusion!
Dies this mean you should not travel to India? Od course not, but I do hope that this wee guide can at least help you to curate a trip that does avoid the worst cities in India. So, while it might not be the most PC of lists, believe me you will thank me later.
Click to check my tours with YPT that of course include India (and even some places on this list).