NEW DELHI: India ranked 5th in air quality worldwide, with Delhi being the most polluted capital, according to the World Air Quality Report 2024. The PM2.5 concentration in India is ten times higher than WHO pollution guidelines, and only 17% of global cities meet these standards.
India ranked fifth globally with an average PM2.5 concentration of 50.6 μg/m³, slightly better than its neighbors—Bangladesh, which ranked second with 78.0 μg/m³, and Pakistan, which ranked third with 73.7 μg/m³.
All three fall under the maroon category, where PM2.5 levels exceed WHO guidelines by over ten times the limit of 5 μg/m³. New Delhi topped the list as the worst-affected capital, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 91.8 μg/m³. Dhaka ranked third with 78 μg/m³, and Islamabad ranked fifth with 52.4 μg/m³, according to the World Air Quality Report 2024, released on Tuesday.
India saw 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 world’s ten most polluted cities are in India.
New Delhi maintained consistently high pollution levels, with an annual average of 91.6 µg/m³, nearly unchanged from 92.7 µg/m³ in 2023. India ranked as the world’s fifth most polluted country, down from third the previous year.
According to the report, air pollution remains a significant health burden in India, reducing life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years. Severe pollution episodes persisted in 2024, particularly in northern states. January saw especially poor air quality in Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.
The city of Baddi, in southwestern Himachal Pradesh, recorded a January monthly PM2.5 average of 165 µg/m³. Air quality deteriorated sharply in Manipur in October, while November witnessed extreme pollution levels in Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Crop stubble burning remained a major contributor to PM2.5 levels, accounting for 60% of pollution during peak periods.
Overall, 35% of Indian cities reported annual PM2.5 averages exceeding ten times the WHO guideline.
India faces significant air quality challenges, with major pollution sources including vehicular emissions, industrial discharges, construction dust, and crop residue burning.
In urban centers like Delhi, vehicular emissions are a leading contributor to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), exacerbated by traffic congestion and fuel adulteration. Seasonal agricultural practices, particularly stubble burning in states like Punjab and Haryana, further worsen air quality during winter.
Industrial emissions and construction activities also contribute significantly to pollution levels. Despite government measures, such as the National Clean Air Programme aimed at reducing pollution, challenges persist due to inconsistent policy implementation and inadequate infrastructure.
In October 2024, India’s Supreme Court affirmed that breathing clean, pollution-free air is a fundamental right. The Court ruled that the central government and the governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan must take more effective measures to control air pollution at its source. Despite numerous rulings requiring government action, the Court found that only limited steps were taken to curb stubble burning.
Authorities were ordered to submit reports demonstrating compliance with court directives. During a November hearing, the Supreme Court criticized Delhi officials for “serious lapses” in curbing pollution under the Graded Response Action Plan, a multi-stage emergency framework for tackling pollution on poor air quality days.
Globally, only 17% of cities meet WHO air pollution guidelines. Seven countries—Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Estonia, Grenada, Iceland, and New Zealand—achieved the WHO annual average PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³. Meanwhile, 126 out of 138 countries and regions (91.3%) exceeded the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline value.
Byrnihat, India, was the most polluted metropolitan area of 2024, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 µg/m³. The Central and South Asian region was home to nine of the world’s ten most polluted cities, with India accounting for six of them.
PM2.5 concentrations decreased in every country in Southeast Asia, though transboundary haze and lingering El Niño conditions remained significant factors.
Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest impacted large parts of Latin America in 2024, with PM2.5 levels in some cities across Brazil’s Rondônia and Acre states quadrupling in September. Oceania remains the world’s cleanest region, with 57% of its cities meeting the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline value of 5 µg/m³.