Air quality (PM2.5)
Ranks countries by population-weighted average PM2.5. A high rank here is bad: it counts from the most polluted. India's national average runs close to ten times the WHO guideline, and a large majority of the world's most polluted cities are Indian.
Position from worst
6 / 143
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Published by
IQAir
IQAir's 8th World Air Quality Report. Sixth most polluted country by population-weighted PM2.5 at 48.9 µg/m³ — close to ten times the WHO guideline of 5. An improvement on 2024, when India was 5th at 50.6. Delhi remains the world's most polluted capital at 82.2 µg/m³, itself a three-year low. Loni (UP) was the most polluted city globally at 112.5. 66 of the world's 100 most polluted cities are in India.
Air quality (PM2.5) over time
View as table
| Period | Air quality (PM2.5) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 48.9 |
| 2024 | 50.6 |
| 2023 | 54.4 |
| 2022 | 53.3 |
| 2019 | 58.1 |
| 2018 | 72.5 |
Rank history
View as table
| Period | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2019 | 5 |