List of World’s Most Polluted Cities 2024

India Pollution Brief: India’s air pollution crisis remains severe, with the latest data for 2024 suggesting that the situation has not improved significantly from previous years. The following update reflects the current status of air quality in Indian cities, based on the latest reports from verified sources.\

In 2024, the average PM2.5 concentration in India was alarmingly high, with Bhairanihat in Meghalaya being the most polluted city with an average concentration of 151.5 µg/m³. This concentration is more than 30 times higher than the annual limit of 5 µg/m³ recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

List of the world’s most polluted cities in 2024

rank City nation PM2.5 (micrograms/cubic meter) Main pollutants
1 Dhaka Bangladesh 114.5 PM2.5
2 Lahore Pakistan 95.1 PM2.5
3 Patna India 67.0 PM2.5
4 New Delhi India 65.9 PM2.5
5 muzaffarnagar India 62.4 PM2.5
6 Urumqi China 63.4 PM2.5
7 Xi’an China 57.9 PM2.5
8 Xuchang China 57.0 PM2.5
9 Peshawar Pakistan 56.2 PM2.5
10 Anyang China 54.6 PM2.5
11 Dushanbe Tajikistan 53.8 PM2.5
12 Ghaziabad India 53.5 PM2.5
Thirteen Zhengzhou China 53.3 PM2.5
14 Lucknow India 53.1 PM2.5
15 Xinxiang China 51.6 PM2.5
16 Lanzhou China 49.5 PM2.5
17 Shijiazhuang China 48.6 PM2.5
18 Kathmandu Nepal 48.5 PM2.5
19 Dubai United Arab Emirates 47.8 PM2.5
20 Visakhapatnam India 46.8 PM2.5
twenty one Chandigarh India 45.8 PM2.5
twenty two Taiyuan China 45.2 PM2.5
twenty three Baghdad Iraq 44.9 PM2.5
twenty four Tianjin China 44.9 PM2.5
XXV Greater Noida India To be determined To be determined
XXVI muzaffarnagar India To be determined To be determined
XXVII Gurgaon India To be determined To be determined
XXVIII Allah India To be determined To be determined
XXIX Dudley India To be determined To be determined
thirty Faridabad India To be determined To be determined
31 Noida India To be determined To be determined
XXXII Meerut India To be determined To be determined
33 Rohtak India To be determined To be determined

The data depicts cities with the highest levels of air pollution, measured primarily by annual average concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5). The data shows that India is heavily represented in cities, reflecting the region’s persistent air quality challenges.

About the Report

Air pollution is one of the major environmental health risks and has caused millions of premature deaths. The main pollutant quantified in this report is PM2.5 particulate matter, which is extremely small particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. These particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, causing a variety of health problems such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and many other serious diseases. Methodology: This ranking is based on air quality measurements from numerous monitoring stations around the world. The annual average concentration of PM2.5 is usually expressed in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). This ranking is determined based on the PM2.5 levels of the cities; the higher the number, the worse the air quality.

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