A closer look at the US travel advisory for India

On 16 June 2025, the US issued a travel advice for its citizens about India, stating that while travelling to India, be “more vigilant”.

- Gajendra Singh

This advice warned against the incidents of crime, especially rape, and said that the journey should be avoided due to the threat of terrorism in central and eastern parts of India. The US claims that rape is one of the fastest growing crimes in India and sexual violence at tourist destinations often occur. At first glance, this advice may take a general government step for the safety of its citizens. But when we look deeply, this advice seems inspired by select data, cultural prejudices and political purpose.

Let’s first check the claim that rape in India is one of the “fastest growing crimes”? According to data from India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of rape cases recorded 32,032 in 2019, 31,677 in 2021, and 31,516 in 2022. These figures clearly show that there is no rapid increase in cases - but they are stable or showing a slight decline. Now that these figures are placed in the global context, the picture looks completely different. For example, 652,676 rape cases were registered in the US in 2019 (according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Centre). The rate of rape on 100,000 population is around 198, while in India this rate is only 2.4 per 100,000 per 100,000. It is necessary to see for a reference that in 2022, Los Angeles County alone recorded more than 2,000 sexual assaults in New York City. At the same time, India’s capital Delhi - who often makes headlines in international media - 1,250 rape cases were registered in the same year.