Delhi has again become the world's most polluted national capital for the sixth year in a row, with an average concentration of PM2.5 at 91.8 μg/m³, according to the 2024 World Air Quality Report.
The study points out that 13 of the top 20 most polluted cities in the world are located in India. Byrnihat, on the border of Assam and Meghalaya, saw maximum pollution.
Other heavily polluted cities are Faridabad, Loni (Ghaziabad), Gurgaon, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Noida, Muzaffarnagar, New Delhi (Central Delhi), and Delhi, which was taken as an overall average of various areas in the city.
India was the fifth most polluted nation in the world, with a mean Air Quality Index (AQI) of 50.6 μg/m³—ten times the World Health Organization's (WHO) prescribed yearly PM2.5 of 5 μg/m³. Comparatively, the country was the third most polluted nation in 2023.
"Air pollution is still a heavy health burden in India, decreasing life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years," the report read.
Key Findings of the Report:
- Only 17% of world cities met WHO standards for air pollution. Out of 138 countries and regions covered by a survey, 126 (91.3%) violated WHO's annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 μg/m³.
- Byrnihat, India, was ranked the most polluted city in 2024, with a yearly average of 128.2 μg/m³ PM2.5. Central and South Asia had seven of the global top ten most polluted cities, while India had six of the nine most polluted cities in the world.
- Los Angeles, California, was the most polluted big city in the United States, and Ontario, California, was the most polluted city in the nation.
In Africa, real-time air quality monitoring access is still very limited, with only one monitoring station per 3.7 million people.
Despite a slight improvement in Delhi’s pollution levels, the NCR region continues to struggle with heavy pollution.
The report further noted, “India experienced a 7% decline in PM2.5 concentrations in 2024, averaging 50.6 µg/m³ compared to 54.4 µg/m³ in 2023. However, six of the ten most polluted cities worldwide remain in India. New Delhi recorded an annual PM2.5 average of 91.6 µg/m³, showing minimal change from 92.7 µg/m³ in 2023.”
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