13 out of world's 20 most polluted cities in India; here's the full list

India, which was at the third spot in 2023, became the fifth most polluted country in 2024

A new report published on March 11 has revealed that thirteen of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India. The city that has topped the list is Byrnihat in Assam, followed by Delhi, which continues to be the most polluted national capital.

According to the World Air Quality Report 2024 by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, Delhi remains the most polluted capital globally. India, which was at the third spot in 2023, became the fifth most polluted country in 2024.

The 13 Indian cities in the list are Byrnihat, Delhi, Mullanpur, Faridabad, Loni, New Delhi, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh and Noida.

The other cities in the top 20 belong to Pakistan (four), China (one), Kazakhstan (one) and Chad (one).

The report said India saw a 7 per cent decline in PM2.5 concentrations in 2024, averaging 50.6 micrograms per cubic metre, compared to 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023.

In Delhi, the air pollution has gone on to become even worse -- with the annual average PM2.5 concentration rising from 102.4 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023 to 108.3 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024.

Overall, 35 per cent of the Indian cities reported annual PM2.5 levels exceeding 10 times the World Health Organization (WHO) limit of 5 micrograms per cubic metre, the report said.

Assam's Byrnihat ranks at the top spot in the list owing to emissions from local factories, including distilleries, iron and steel plants.