Bengaluru second-most congested city in the world: TomTom ranking

Bengaluru: Bengaluru has been ranked the world’s second-most traffic-clogged city in 2025, behind only Mexico City, according to the latest TomTom Traffic Index, an annual global assessment of congestion and commuting trends.

Despite the Karnataka government positioning Bengaluru as a technology forward global city, it’s position has steadily worsened in recent years — from sixth place in 2023 to third in 2024, before reaching the second this year.

The report shows that average peak-hour speeds in Bengaluru fell to 13.9 kmph in 2025, down by 1 kmph from the previous year. Commuters took an average of 36 minutes and nine seconds to cover 10 km — over two minutes longer than in 2024. The city’s congestion level, which measures additional travel time caused by traffic, stood at 74.4%, up 1.7 percentage points year-on-year. In total, vehicle users lost an estimated 168 hours annually during peak-hour travel.

Dublin followed Bengaluru in the global congestion rankings. Among Indian cities, Pune ranked fifth and Mumbai eighteenth, with average speeds of 18 kmph and 20.8 kmph, respectively.

The report flagged May 17, a Saturday, as Bengaluru’s worst traffic day of the year, when congestion peaked at 101% and drivers needed 15 minutes to travel just 2.5 km during the evening rush.

During morning rush hour, it takes approximately 41 minutes to travel 10 km, while the same distance takes 45 minutes during evening rush hour.