Infidelity in India is no longer a simmering taboo. According to the recent survey, physical infidelity has declined by a 16 per cent in the country since 2023.
The “infidelity survey” conducted by dating app Gleeden with IPSOS as a research provider, has seen that only 48 per cent of respondents in 2025 reported cheating on their partner compared to 57 per cent in 2020. The continuing downward trend represents not just a behavioural shift, but an ideological shift as well. Indians are not necessarily being more faithful, they are simply more willing to deliberate about fidelity itself, the survey finds.
“While traditional marriage historically meant total monogamy, couples today are questioning whether exclusivity is the only path to commitment. In this context, infidelity is being replaced with intentional conversations, clear boundaries, and redefined partnerships. Infidelity fatigue has set in. People today are tired of living a double life. They are leaning into radical transparency and redefined relationship models, whether that means ethical non-monogamy or open partnerships,” says Sybil Shiddell, country manager of the app in India.
Where monogamy lost its monopolisation of love
The notion of monogamy as the premium model for love is no longer widely believed. Nearly half of the respondents in the 2025 study do not believe humans are built to be monogamous – with Gen X being the most persuaded (50 per cent disbelief). In fact, 61 per cent of people surveyed said society wants people to be monogamous, even if this runs contrary to their instincts. The social contract is changing, and the public is starting to realise that emotional safety and freedom can coexist.
The clearest example of the social contract evolving is in the growing acceptance of open relationships. A surprising 69 per cent of respondents think that open relationships are becoming more acceptable in the society where 35 per cent of respondents confessed to being involved in open relationships already, while 41% said they would immediately agree to an open relationship if their partner proposed one. These are not casual encounters – they are well-thought through agreements with mutual obligations and respect. As Indian couples come out of secrecy and into conversations, betrayed loyalty is being replaced with negotiated independence.
Cheating`s no longer cool but consensual is
The fall in reported infidelity does not necessarily mean people are not exploring relationships outside of faithfulness – it simply means they are doing so more honestly. Instead of it being clandestine, it is becoming consensual. The language is shifting from “cheating” to “choice” and from “betrayal” to “boundaries”. As more couples embrace sexual and emotional honesty, they begin to remove the need to deceive.
Evolution goes beyond freedom, it is also about fairness. Women now constitute about 35 per cent of the app`s Indian users, and they are not afraid to dive in. Women were found to be equally as likely to report physical and emotional infidelity (46%), but were also much more likely than men to define infidelity strictly. For women, emotional connection, chatty flirting, and simply fantasizing about someone else could be considered cheating, and this growth in self-awareness among women is creating demand for more emotions-based honest relationships – relationships that depend on no silent agreements under guilt.
From “Happily Ever After” to happily honest
The statistics are a fascinating counterpoint. Although 94 per cent of Indians claim to be happy in their relationships, and 84 per cent claim to be satisfied in their sex lives, only 25 per cent feel fulfilled in reality. The rest admit to feeling the lack of emotional connection, thrill, or communication. This disconnect has produced a cultural moment where increasing numbers of people are exploring alternative ways to fix their relationships instead of terminating them.
An astonishing 60 per cent of married people would choose the intramarital affair over a divorce in a case of unhappiness in the marriage. Even more radically, 47 per cent thought infidelity could prove to yeast the passion of a monotonous union. Forgiveness is also possible – 62 per cent said they would seriously consider forgiving a cheating spouse in a one-time mistake, especially if the spouse showed honest remorse in the way they continued. The survey clearly shows an evolution from moral absolutism towards emotional realism.
The future is fluid
A declining infidelity rate in India does not mean a return to a traditional view of monogamy, it signals the emergence of something new. Importantly, this transition is not a return to moral policing but rather moral maturity. Almost 64 per cent of participants stated their thoughts surrounding relationships have changed in the last five years: 69 per cent, in fact, say open relationships are now more socially accepted, while 59 per cent think they may become the relationship model of the future.
While we may still associate secret and scandal with infidelity in some spaces, it is obvious that couples are choosing clarity over chaos, curiosity over condemnation, and open dialogue over secrets.
As Indians enter a new chapter of a relationship revolution, fidelity is no longer defined by restrictions, it is now defined by respect. Whether that is to stay monogamous, go polyamorous, or remain somewhere in between, perfection is now replaced by authenticity.
