Report: India ranks 3rd in worst air quality; Delhi remains world’s most polluted capital

As per a new report, Begusarai in Bihar has emerged as the world's most polluted metropolitan area, while Delhi has been identified as the capital city with the poorest air quality. According to the World Air Quality Report 2023 by the Swiss organization IQAir, India ranked third worst out of 134 countries in terms of average annual PM2.5 concentration, following Bangladesh and Pakistan. In 2022, India was ranked eighth, with a slightly lower PM2.5 concentration.

Begusarai stands out as the most polluted metropolitan area globally, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic meter, a significant increase from the previous year's data. Delhi's PM2.5 levels also worsened, maintaining its status as the most polluted capital city in the world for the fourth consecutive year.
Read more: Places to travel in India to witness the most amazing holi celebrations
If we go by what the report has to reveal, nearly all of the 100 cities with the worst air pollution worldwide last year were in Asia, indicating the significant impact of the climate crisis on deteriorating air quality, and thereby posing a severe risk to the health of billions of individuals globally.



The report by IQAir, which monitors air quality worldwide, indicates that a staggering 83 of these cities were located in India, surpassing the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines by more than tenfold. Specifically focusing on fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, the study underscores its alarming prevalence as the most hazardous pollutant. Shockingly, only 9% of over 7,800 cities assessed globally met the WHO's standard, which stipulates that average annual levels of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter.

Read more: 9 Incredible monuments in India built by women
The report highlights the alarming extent of air pollution in India, with an estimated 1.36 billion people experiencing PM2.5 concentrations exceeding the WHO recommended annual guideline level. Additionally, 96% of the Indian population is exposed to PM2.5 levels more than seven times the WHO guideline.

IQAir collected data from over 30,000 air quality monitoring stations worldwide, including governmental bodies, research institutions, and citizen scientists. The report's scope expanded from 7,323 locations in 131 countries in 2022 to 7,812 locations in 134 countries in 2023.

Air pollution remains a critical global health concern, responsible for an estimated one in every nine deaths worldwide. It leads to various health conditions such as asthma, cancer, stroke, and lung disease, and can also impair cognitive development in children and exacerbate existing illnesses like diabetes.