IQAir World Air Quality Report 2025 ranks India 6th most polluted globally

Key facts

• India is the sixth most polluted country for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) according to the World Air Quality Report 2025 published by IQAir.
• Uttar Pradesh’s Loni is the world’s most polluted city with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5 µg/m³, a 23% rise from 2024.
• Delhi is the fourth most polluted city globally; other Indian cities in the global top-10 are Byrnihat, Ghaziabad and Ula.
• Only 14% of global cities met the World Health Organization (WHO) annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³, down from 17% the previous year.
• Wildfires intensified by climate change contributed about 1,380 megatons of carbon, degrading air quality in Europe, Canada and the United States.
• The end of the US State Department’s global air quality monitoring programme in March 2025 weakened monitoring in 44 countries and left six without any monitoring.