This small Indian town tops extra-marital affair list, Mumbai doesn't even make the top 20; Full ranking will leave you stunned

Kanchipuram, a town in Tamil Nadu known for its temples and silk sarees, is now making headlines for a very different reason. According to new June 2025 data from Ashley Madison, a global dating app known for connecting people seeking extra-marital relationships, Kanchipuram has topped the list of Indian districts with the most affairs.

The rise is quite surprising. Just last year, Kanchipuram was 17th on the list. In just 12 months, it has taken the top spot, beating metros like Delhi and Mumbai. Ashley Madison hasn’t given an exact reason for the jump, but it’s part of a growing trend, tier-2 and tier-3 cities are now showing more activity on the app than bigger urban centres.

Delhi Dominates the List

While Kanchipuram is first, Central Delhi is a close second. In fact, Delhi-NCR dominates the top 20 with nine places on the list. This includes six Delhi districts: Central, South West, East, South, West and North West—as well as nearby cities like Gurgaon, Noida, and Ghaziabad.


Interestingly, Mumbai didn’t even make it to the top 20.

Tier-2 Cities Are Catching Up

The list also features unexpected names like Jaipur, Raigarh, Kamrup, and Chandigarh. Cities like Ghaziabad and Jaipur have even outpaced larger metros when it comes to new signups and engagement. Ashley Madison says these rankings are not just about how many people joined, but also how active and engaged they are on the app.

What the Company Says

The Chief Strategy Officer at Ashley Madison, Paul Keable said, “More than half of Indian adults surveyed admitted to infidelity. India is now our sixth-largest market and might rise further by the end of the year.”

Back in April, a YouGov survey supported this trend, revealing that 53% of Indian respondents admitted to having had an affair, one of the highest rates globally.

The App's Controversial History

Ashley Madison launched in the early 2000s with the tagline, “Life is short. Have an affair.” The app made headlines in 2015 after a major data breach exposed the personal details of 37 million users. Since then, the company has focused on rebuilding trust and growing in new markets, India being one of them.

What’s surprising is that India became one of the app’s top eight markets even before any serious marketing campaigns here. According to Keable, the rise was purely organic, people were already curious.

Inputs from agencies