World Air Quality Report 2024 Key Findings -

Table of Contents

Context: The 2024 World Air Quality Report, released by the Swiss air quality tracking company IQAir, highlights severe air pollution levels worldwide.

Key Findings of the World Air Quality Report 2024

Most Polluted Capital City

New Delhi remains the most polluted capital in the world, with an annual PM 2.5 concentration of 91.8 µg/m³.
Other polluted capital cities: N’Djamena (Chad) & Dhaka (Bangladesh).
New Delhi has topped the list every year between 2018 and 2024, except in 2022, when N’Djamena overtook it.

Most Polluted Metropolitan Area in the World

Byrnihat (Meghalaya, India) is the most polluted metropolitan area globally, with an annual PM 2.5 concentration of 128.2 µg/m³.

Most polluted Countries

(1) Chad
(2) Bangladesh
(3) Pakistan
(4) Congo
(5) India

Pollution Standards and WHO Guidelines

WHO PM 2.5 guideline: 5 µg/m³
- µg/m3 is a unit of measurement that stands for micrograms per cubic meter.
- It’s used to measure the concentration of pollutants or particulate matter in air or other gases.
India’s Central Pollution Control Board limit: 40 µg/m³
India’s actual PM 2.5 levels (50.6 µg/m³) are 10 times higher than the WHO guideline.

Regional Pollution Analysis

Oceania is the cleanest region, with 57% of cities meeting WHO guidelines.
Seven countries met WHO guidelines for PM 2.5 levels: Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Estonia, Grenada, Iceland, and New Zealand.
No city in East Asia, South East Asia, or West Asia met WHO guidelines.

Global Pollution Overview

Only 17% of cities worldwide met WHO air pollution guidelines.
126 out of 138 countries (91.3%) exceeded the WHO’s annual PM 2.5 guideline.
Central and South Asia accounted for the top seven most polluted cities in the world.
The most polluted major city in USA: Los Angeles.

India’s Pollution Crisis

India ranks as the 5th most polluted country, with an average PM 2.5 level of 50.6 µg/m³.
In 2023, India was the 3rd most polluted country.
India saw a 7% decline in PM 2.5 levels in 2024 (6 µg/m³) compared to 2023 (54.4 µg/m³) but still remains heavily polluted.
Six of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India.
13 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India.
Most Polluted Indian Cities (Annual PM 2.5 Levels): Byrnihat, Mullanpur (Punjab), Faridabad, Loni, & Gurgaon.
Major sources of PM2.5 pollution:
- Crop stubble burning (accounting for 60% of pollution during peak periods).
- Vehicular emissions, Industrial discharges, & Construction dust.
Health Impacts of PM2.5 Pollution: Respiratory diseases, Chronic kidney disease, Cancer, Strokes and heart attacks, etc.
- Pollution in India reduces life expectancy by nearly 5 years.