Top 10 most polluted cities in the world
The Swiss-based air quality monitoring agency IQAir in its World Air Quality Report, ranked India as home to six of the world’s ten most polluted cities, with Byrnihat, a small industrial town, topping the list.
The report, which analysed data from over 40,000 air quality monitoring stations across 8,954 locations in 138 countries, underscores the severe air pollution crisis in Central and South Asia, with India’s cities dominating the global rankings for PM2.5 concentrations, a dangerous pollutant linked to serious health risks.
According to the IQAir 2024 World Air Quality Report, Byrnihat recorded an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³), over 25 times the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended limit of 5 µg/m³.
Delhi, the world’s most polluted capital for the sixth consecutive year, followed closely with 91.8 µg/m³, alongside other Indian cities: Mullanpur (Punjab), Faridabad, Loni, Gurugram, and Noida. The remaining top ten included Lahore and Karachi (Pakistan), N’Djamena (Chad), and Dhaka (Bangladesh).
Air pollution transcends borders, with prevailing winds carrying PM2.5 particles across regions, impacting global climate and health. The WHO estimates that 99% of the global population breathes air exceeding safe limits, with low- and middle-income countries like India bearing the brunt.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
