In March 2025, Switzerland based air quality technology company IQAir released its 7th edition of “World Air Quality Report 2024”, a comprehensive global survey of air quality, Chad tops the list in the most polluted countries with an average concentration of 91.8 µg/m³(micrograms per cubic meter). India ranks 5th after Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Congo.
- In 2024, India registered an average Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 concentration of (50.6 µg/m³), a (7% decline) from (54.4 µg/m³) in 2023. Despite this marginal improvement in the national average, 6 of the world’s ten most polluted cities are located in India.
World Air Quality Report:
i.IQAir leverages data from 40,000 air quality monitoring stations across 138 countries and 8,954 newly added locations with around 1,000 new monitors, to underscore the severity of global air pollution.
ii.IQAir assesses air quality based on the concentration of lung-damaging airborne particles known as PM2.5.
iii.The report provides a stark reminder of the continuing challenge of airborne PM and its impact on public health and the environment.
Key Findings of the Report:
i.According to the 2024 World Air Quality Report, only 7 out of 138 countries analyzed, met the World Health Organization (WHO) annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³, while more than 90% of the nations recorded unsafe levels.
- The 7 countries that met the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³are Australia (4.5 µg/m³), New Zealand (4.4 µg/m³), Estonia (4.6 µg/m³), Iceland (4.0 µg/m³), Barbados (3.1 µg/m³), Grenada (3.2 µg/m³) and The Bahamas (2.3 µg/m³).
ii.Central and South Asia continue to dominate the global air pollution map. India emerged as a hotspot with several cities ranking among the world’s most polluted.
iii.Only 12 countries, regions, and territories recorded PM2.5 levels below the WHO annual guideline of (5.0 µg/m³), with (17% of cities) most of which were in the Latin America and Caribbean or Oceania region meeting the standard in 2024 , a notable increase from (9% in 2023).
- Oceania is the world’s cleanest region, with 57% of regional cities meeting the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline value of 5 µg/m3.
Top 5 most polluted countries in 2024:
| Rank | Country | Average PM2.5 (µg/m³) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad | 91.8 |
| 2 | Bangladesh | 78.0 |
| 3 | Pakistan | 73.7 |
| 4 | Congo | 58.2 |
| 5 | India | 50.6 |
i.Chad tops the list in the most polluted countries with an average concentration of 91.8 µg/m³, nearly 18 times the safe limit followed by Bangladesh at 78 µg/m³ that surpasses the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline by more than 15 times.
ii.Pakistan (73.7 µg/m³) records a PM2.5 level that is nearly 15 times higher than the WHO recommended limit.
iii.The Democratic Republic of the Congo (58.2 µg/m³) exceeds the WHO PM2.5 guideline by over 11 times.
iv.India (50.6 µg/m³) shows PM2.5 concentrations that are more than 10 times higher than the WHO standard. Overall, 35% of the Indian cities reported annual PM2.5 levels exceeding 10 times the WHO limit .
Top 5 Most Polluted Cities in 2024:
| Rank | City | Country | Average PM2.5 (µg/m³) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Byrnihat | India | 128.2 |
| 2 | New Delhi | India | 108.3 |
| 3 | Karaganda | Kazakhstan | 104.8 |
| 4 | Mullanpur | India | 102.3 |
| 5 | Lahore | Pakistan | 102.1 |
i.Byrnihat situated on the border of Assam and Meghalaya in India leads the ranking in the most polluted cities with a staggering annual average PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 µg/m³, far exceeding the WHO guideline.
ii.New Delhi (India) follows closely with 108.3 µg/m³, marking it as one of the most polluted national capitals for the 6th consecutive year.
iii.Karaganda (Kazakhstan) comes in third with a PM2.5 level of 104.8 µg/m³ followed by Mullanpur (India) ranks fourth, recording 102.3 µg/m³ and Lahore (Pakistan) ranks 5th with 102.1 µg/m³.
iv.These cities face severe air quality challenges, with their PM2.5 levels far exceeding the WHO recommended limit of 5 µg/m³.
Note:
- The WHO estimates that air pollution kills around 7 million people each year.
- According to the Lancet Planetary Health study, about 1.5 million deaths in India every year from 2009 to 2019 were potentially linked to long-term exposure to PM2.5 pollution.
- Air pollution is the second leading global risk factor for death, and the second leading risk factor for deaths among children under five, following malnutrition, due to its significance
- Air pollution remains a significant health burden in India, reducing life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years.
