As per Swiss air quality technology company IQAir’s World Air Quality Report 2024, 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in India.
As per report, Delhi remains the most polluted capital city globally, while India ranked as the world's fifth most polluted country in 2024.
The air pollution in Delhi has worsened, with the annual average PM2.5 concentration rising from 102.4 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023 to 108.3 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024.
The Indian cities in the list of world's top 20 most polluted cities are Byrnihat, Delhi, Punjab's Mullanpur, Faridabad, Loni, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh and Noida.
The high level of pollution in Byrnihat, a town on the Meghalaya-Assam border, is due to emissions from local factories, including distilleries, iron and steel plants.
Air pollution remains a serious health risk in India, reducing life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years.