Swachh Survekshan 2025: Lucknow Emerges As India’s 3rd Cleanest Metro City

The results are in! The annual cleanliness rankings for Indian cities have been released during the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan, which translates to Cleanliness Survey in Sanskrit. This survey assesses the cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation levels in cities, towns, and villages across India. At an event held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, the Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu presented the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards, organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, achieved third place among the cleanest cities with a population over one million in the Swachh Shahar Awards 2024-25, following Ahmedabad in first place and Bhopal in second.

Achieving an impressive total score of 12,001 out of 12,500, Lucknow demonstrated strong performance across major evaluation areas, particularly in citizen-centric metrics such as public feedback and on-ground cleanliness. The city earned full marks in the Garbage-Free City (GFC) segment with a score of 1,300 out of 1,300, as well as a perfect 1,200 in the Open Defecation Free (ODF) certification.

In a remarkable display of cleanliness, Indore retained its title as India’s cleanest city for the eighth consecutive year, leading the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 rankings.

In Swachh Survekshan 2025, Indore Retained Its Title As India's Cleanest City

Following Indore, Surat and Navi Mumbai ranked second and third respectively, underscoring their strong commitment to urban sanitation. In the category for cities with populations between 3 and 10 lakh, Noida emerged as the cleanest city, with Chandigarh taking second place and Mysuru coming in third.

The ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan this year evaluated over 4,500 cities through a rigorous framework comprising 10 parameters and 54 indicators, focusing primarily on sanitation, waste management, and service delivery.

During the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards Ceremony, Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal honored Prayagraj with the Best Ganga Town award, while Secunderabad Cantonment received recognition as the Best Cantonment Board for its outstanding sanitation efforts.

A special acknowledgement was given to the State Government of Uttar Pradesh, Prayagraj Mela Adhikari, and the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation for their exceptional urban waste management during the Mahakumbh, the largest gathering in the world, which attracted roughly 66 crore attendees.

This edition of Swachh Survekshan has refined the evaluation criteria for larger cities and simplified the framework for smaller ones, fostering a competitive environment that allows them to improve their sanitation rankings.