Air Quality Report 2023: Delhi Reclaims Title as World's Most Polluted Capital City

India has been labeled the world's third most polluted country. According to the World Air Quality Report 2023 by the Swiss organization IQAir, India's air quality ranked poorly with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter. Only Bangladesh and Pakistan fared worse, with concentrations of 9.9 and 73.7 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively.

This marked a significant decline for India, which had ranked eighth in the previous year's report with an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022.

Begusarai in Bihar, India, emerged as the world's most polluted metropolitan area, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic meter. Notably, Bihar's financial capital did not feature in the previous year's list.

Delhi, the capital city of India, experienced a further deterioration in air quality, with PM2.5 levels reaching 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, up from 89.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Delhi has been ranked as the world’s most polluted capital city.

Of the top 11 most polluted cities globally, 10 are located in India, with Lahore in Pakistan being the only exception.

Shashi Tharoor, a veteran Congress MP, has described the situation as a "public health emergency requiring the attention of a responsible government."

According to the report, approximately 136 million Indian citizens are exposed to PM2.5 concentrations higher than the recommended levels set by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is 5 micrograms per cubic meter annually. Furthermore, around 96% of the Indian population faces PM2.5 levels that are seven times higher than the recommended levels, with over 66% of Indian cities reporting annual averages exceeding 35 micrograms per cubic meter.