As India's pollution crisis continues, it was ranked as the fifth most polluted country in the world. In IQAir's World Air Quality report for 2024, India found itself and 13 of its cities on the list.
As per the report, Delhi remains one of the most polluted capital city across the global. Despite having 13 cities out on the world most polluted list, India's overall ranking went down from third in 2023 to fifth.
Which Indian Cities Are On The List?
As per the report by IQAir, Assam's Byrnihat is the most polluted city in the country and the world, followed by Delhi.
Other Indian cities on the list are - Punjab's Mullanpur, Faridabad, Loni, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh and Noida.
The report further adds that the pollution in Delhi worsened in 2024 as the annual average PM2.5 concentration increased from 102.4 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023 to 108.3 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024.
Furthermore, 35 percent of Indian cities reported annual PM2.5 levels exceeding 10 times the limit set by the World Health Organisation which is five micrograms per cubic metre.
Assam's Byrnihat, a town on the border of Assam and Meghalaya, topped the list due to emissions from local factories, including distilleries and iron and steel plants.
Most Polluted Cities As Per IQAir
Byrnihat, India
Delhi, India
Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Mullanpur, India
Lahore, Pakistan
Faridabad, India
Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan
N'Djamena, Chad
Loni, India
New Delhi, India
Multan, Pakistan
Peshawar, Pakistan
Faisalabad, Pakistan
Sialkot, Pakistan
Gurugram, India
Ganaganagar, India
Hotan, China
Greater Noida, India
Bhiwadi, India
Muzaffararnagar, India
Hanumangarh, India
Noida, India
Majority Of Polluted Cities In Asia
Apart from India, cities from Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and China made it to the list of most polluted cities and countries.
As per reports, the only city outside of Asia was N’Djamena, the capital of Chad in central Africa.
