It’s not Delhi, yet it’s worse. A new global air quality report has flagged an Indian city as the most polluted in the world for 2025, overtaking several known hotspots and raising fresh alarm over the country’s deepening air crisis. While Delhi continues to dominate headlines as the most polluted capital, the latest findings point to an even more alarming reality beyond it.
India dominates global pollution rankings
Loni in Uttar Pradesh emerged as the world’s most polluted city in 2025, according to the latest World Air Quality Report released by Swiss air quality technology firm IQAir. The city recorded an annual average PM2.5 level of 112.5µg/m³, marking a nearly 23% rise from 2024 and exceeding the World Health Organisation guideline by over 22 times.
The report noted that the world’s 25 most polluted cities were concentrated in India, Pakistan and China, with India hosting three of the four most polluted. Hotan in China (109.6µg/m³) and Byrnihat in Meghalaya (101.6µg/m³) followed Loni on the list. Overall, India accounted for three of the five most polluted cities globally and 29 of the top 50.
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Delhi’s mixed trend but persistent crisis
Delhi ranked as the world’s fourth most polluted city in 2025, with an annual PM2.5 level of 99.6µg/m³. It also retained its position as the most polluted capital city. The report distinguished between the broader “Delhi” region and the smaller “New Delhi” area, with New Delhi recording 82.2µg/m³ and again topping the list of polluted capitals. Dhaka and Dushanbe followed with 68µg/m³ and 57.3µg/m³, respectively.
Compared to 2024, Delhi showed slight improvement, with PM2.5 levels dropping from 108.3µg/m³ to 99.6µg/m³. New Delhi also saw a marginal decline from 91.8µg/m³ to 82.2µg/m³. Despite this, pollution levels remain far above both India’s standard of 40µg/m³ and the WHO guideline of 5µg/m³.
India’s overall standing and regional concerns
India ranked as the sixth most polluted country, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 48.9µg/m³, down from 50.6µg/m³ in 2024. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo occupied the top five positions.
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The report highlighted that 115 Indian cities exceeded even the country’s own air quality standards. Manoj Kumar, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said, “Delhi being ranked the world’s most polluted capital in IQAir’s PM2.5 data shows the scale of the problem. A significant portion of this particulate pollution is from gaseous pollutants, and unless CAQM regulates these at the source, we are only addressing half the problem. A number of Indian cities with exceedingly high levels also continue to remain outside the scope of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).”
Cities across the National Capital Region also ranked poorly, including Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Gurugram.
Global picture remains concerning
The report analysed data from 9,446 cities across 143 countries. It found that only 14% of global cities met WHO air quality standards, down from 17% the previous year. Just 13 countries met the guidelines.
“Loni, in India, was the most polluted city, recording an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5µg/m³—a nearly 23% increase from 2024 and more than 22 times the WHO guideline. The world’s 25 most polluted cities were all in India, Pakistan and China, with India home to three of the four most polluted,” the report said.
IQAir Global CEO Frank Hammes said, “Air quality is a fragile asset that requires active stewardship to protect public health.”
He added, “The 2025 World Air Quality Report makes clear that without monitoring, we cannot fully understand what’s in the air we breathe. Expanding access to real-time data empowers communities to act. By reducing emissions and addressing climate change, we can drive meaningful, lasting improvements in global air quality.”
