Swachh Survekshan 2025: Bengaluru ranks 5th among dirtiest big cities
Bengaluru, often called India's tech capital, just landed the fifth spot on the list of dirtiest big cities in the Swachh Survekshan 2025 survey.
The city's ranking fell sharply—now 36th out of 40 among cities with over a million people, and down to 15th place in Karnataka.
Meanwhile, cities like Ahmedabad and Bhopal are leading by example when it comes to cleanliness.
Bengaluru struggled with source segregation
Despite solid waste collection (99%) and decent waste processing (81%), Bengaluru struggled with source segregation, which dropped from 99% to 82%.
The biggest red flag: only 27% of public toilets were rated clean this year compared to last year's impressive 87%.
With other cities stepping up their game, these results are a wake-up call for Bengaluru to focus on better sanitation as it keeps growing.
Reality check for Bengaluru
For a city known for its innovation and young crowd, slipping so far behind on cleanliness is a reality check.
If you live here or plan to visit, these rankings highlight how much work is needed—not just from officials but everyone—to make Bengaluru cleaner and healthier.