Half of India Is Cheating: Ashley Madison Data Exposes Nation’s Shifting Affair Culture

New Delhi: Indian marriages are no longer bound by old rules. From secret apps and casual affairs to swinging and open partnerships, more people are rewriting what fidelity means today.

Affairs Are Going Mainstream

According to Ashley Madison, the world’s most popular dating app for married people looking for affairs, India is now its sixth-largest market. The platform says it saw a 155% jump in new users since 2023.

According to a YouGov-Ashley Madison survey conducted in April 2025 across 11 countries, more than half of Indian respondents confessed to having cheated at some point. Still, experts caution that this was a targeted poll on infidelity, so it highlights openness to admit rather than providing a blanket number for the entire population.

It’s not just the metros making headlines. Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, better known for its temples and silk sarees, has leapt from #17 in 2024 to #1 in Ashley Madison’s June 2025 list of “cheating capitals.” Yet, the Delhi-NCR region still dominates overall, with nine districts in the top 20.

India’s Top 10 Cities Leading in Infidelity (Ashley Madison, June 2025)

Rank	City/District	State	Notes
1	Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu	Jumped from #17 in 2024 to #1
2	Central Delhi	Delhi	Strong presence in Delhi-NCR
3	Gurgaon (Gurugram)	Haryana	Part of Delhi-NCR’s dominance
4	Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar)	Uttar Pradesh	Rising non-monogamy hub
5	South West Delhi	Delhi	One of six Delhi districts in top 20
6	Dehradun	Uttarakhand	Emerging tier-2 hotspot
7	East Delhi	Delhi	Consistent user engagement
8	Pune	Maharashtra	Only major metro in top 10
9	Bengaluru	Karnataka	Tech city with active users
10	South Delhi	Delhi	Rounds out Delhi-NCR’s strong showing

Smaller cities like Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Raigarh are also rising fast, proving affairs are no longer just a metro phenomenon.

Swinging, Swiping, and Breaking the Rulebook

It’s not only about physical affairs. A 2025 survey by Gleeden, another dating app for married people, showed that:

• 61% of married Indians believe monogamy is “unnatural”.
• Over 60% are open to non-traditional setups like swinging, emotional affairs, or “relationship anarchy” (where people make their own rules instead of following tradition).
• 40% admitted to digital affairs such as flirty chats, sexting, or online romances.

“People are finding emotional fulfillment outside traditional marriages,” said Sybil Shiddell, Gleeden’s India head . But experts warn that this freedom can also cause heartbreak, fights, or even violence in some homes.

What the Company Says

Paul Keable, Chief Strategy Officer at Ashley Madison, noted that India has quickly become one of the platform’s fastest-growing regions. “More than half of Indian adults we surveyed admitted to infidelity. India is now our sixth-largest market—and it could climb even higher by year’s end,” he said.

This aligns with findings from a YouGov–Ashley Madison survey conducted in April 2025, where 53% of Indian respondents confessed to having had an affair, placing India among the highest globally when it comes to openness about infidelity.

Polygamy Still Exists—But Is Declining

Even government surveys show marriages in India aren’t always one-to-one. The National Family Health Survey (2019–21) found that:

• 1.4% of married women said their husbands had multiple wives, down from 1.9% in 2005–06.
• Among Scheduled Tribes, the figure is higher at 2.4%.
• In some Northeastern districts like East Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya), polygamy rates are as high as 20%.

While illegal for non-Muslims, polygamy still survives in some tribal areas and communities.

Also Read: Delhi on High Alert as Hathni Kund Barrage Releases Over 3 Lakh Cusecs of Water

Why Is This Happening?

Experts point to several reasons for India’s shifting marriage norms:

• Changing mindsets: Younger Indians are questioning traditional ideas of marriage.
• Smartphones & apps: With over 3.5 million Indian users on Ashley Madison and Gleeden’s 270% growth in 2024, affairs are easier to arrange—even in smaller towns.
• Social media: 68% of Gleeden users say apps like Instagram make it easier to connect secretly.
• Legal changes: Since adultery was decriminalized in 2018 (though still a divorce ground), people feel less scared of legal trouble.

From discreet affairs on apps to multiple-wife households in remote areas, India’s marriage culture is clearly evolving. Some see it as freedom and modernization, while others fear it could break down families and social norms.