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India’s particulate substance (PM2.5) concentrations were astatine a three-year low, though it inactive is the sixth astir polluted state successful the world, according to the World Air Quality Report, a yearly planetary compilation of aerial prime by IQAir, a Swiss institution that makes aerial filtration devices.
India’s population-weighted yearly mean PM2.5 attraction successful 2025 was 48.9 µg/m³, a 3% alteration from 2024 (50.6 µg/m³) and a 10% alteration from 2023 (54.4 µg/m³). The 2025 numbers were portion of a report—now successful its eighth edition—made nationalist connected Tuesday (March 24, 2026).
The population-weighted numbers that IQAir calculates springiness much value to the particulate substance numbers from cities with higher population—a metric meant to underline the prime of aerial that the bulk of a country’s colonisation are exposed to.
In 2023, India ranked 3rd globally, down lone Bangladesh and Pakistan. In 2024, it slipped to 5th arsenic Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo entered the rankings with higher concentrations. In the 2025 report, India stands astatine 6th, present besides down Tajikistan. In the 2025 edition, much countries with precocious contamination loads and hitherto unmonitored entered the IQAir compilation. There were 143 countries (spanning 9,446 cities) successful 2025, up from 134 countries (spanning 7,812 cities) successful 2023.
New Delhi’s yearly PM2.5 attraction has moved from 92.7 µg/m³ successful 2023 to 108.3 µg/m³ successful 2024 (a 6% rise, its highest since 2019), and past backmost down to 82.2 µg/m³ successful 2025—a three-year debased and 8% driblet from the erstwhile year. Yet, New Delhi remains the apical most-polluted superior metropolis successful the world.
In 2023, Begusarai successful Bihar was the astir polluted metropolitan country successful India and the world. In 2024, it was Byrnihat connected the Assam-Meghalaya borderline (128.2 µg/m³). In 2025, the rod presumption was captured by Loni successful Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad territory astatine 112.5 µg/m³. “Only PM10 concentrations person been targeted, alternatively than the much harmful PM2.5. Weak enforcement of vehicular and concern emanation norms, combined with relaxed sulfur rules for ember plants, apt impacted aerial quality,” the study said successful a conception connected India. For their analysis, the study relies connected publically reported information from the countries’ monitoring networks. These are highly variable, and poorer cities and countries person less monitors per portion of population, often failing to springiness a typical representation of their aerial quality.
The 2025 study notes that India’s National Clean Air Programme has directed 64% of its backing toward roadworthy particulate reduction, which chiefly comprises watering and sweeping roads, portion lone 15% went to biomass burning, 13% to conveyance emissions, and a specified 1% to concern pollution. It besides noted the nationalist protests astatine India Gate, New Delhi successful November 2025 pursuing spikes successful aerial pollution.
In 2024, 74 of the 100 astir polluted cities globally were successful India, a flimsy betterment from 83 successful 2023. The 2025 study notes that 17 of the world’s 20 astir polluted cities are successful the Central & South Asia region, with the “majority” successful India and Pakistan.
Globally, lone thirteen countries/territories met the WHO yearly mean PM2.5 guideline: French Polynesia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Barbados, New Caledonia, Iceland, Bermuda, Réunion, Andorra, Australia, Grenada, Panama and Estonia.
