According to the new report, Begusarai in Bihar tops the list of the world's most polluted metropolitan areas, while Delhi was identified as the capital city with the poorest air quality.
According to the World Air Quality Report 2023 by Swiss organisation IQAir, India had the third-worst air quality out of 134 countries in 2023, with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre after Bangladesh (79.9 micrograms per cubic metre) and Pakistan (73.7 micrograms per cubic metre).
In 2022, India was ranked as the eighth most polluted country with an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic metre. Begusarai stood out as the most polluted metropolitan area globally with an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic metre. The city did not even figure in the 2022 rankings.
Delhi's PM2.5 levels worsened from 89.1 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022 to 92.7 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023. The national capital was ranked the most polluted capital city in the world four times on the trot starting 2018, reported news agency PTI.
It is estimated that 1.36 billion people in India experience PM2.5 concentrations exceeding the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended annual guideline level of 5 micrograms per cubic metre, the report said. According to the WHO, air pollution is responsible for an estimated seven million premature deaths worldwide every year.