India 6th most polluted globally, UP’s Loni tops world list: Report

New Delhi, Mar 24: India is the sixth most-polluted country when it comes to levels of fine particulate matter, while UP's Loni is the most polluted city across the globe and Delhi is at the fourth spot, according to the World Air Quality Report, 2025.

The eighth edition of the report published by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, analysed data from monitoring stations across 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions and territories.

Among the ten most polluted cities across the globe, five are from India, namely Loni, Byrnihat, Delhi, Ghaziabad and Ula.

According to the report, Pakistan is the most polluted country, followed by Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Chad and Congo, with India at the sixth spot.

"The world's 25 most polluted cities were all located in India, Pakistan and China, with India home to three of the four most polluted. Loni, India, was the most polluted city, recording an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5 µg/m³-a nearly 23 per cent increase from 2024 and more than 22 times the WHO guideline," the report said.

Comparing this year's report to the previous year, 54 countries experienced a rise in the annual average of PM2.5, 75 saw a drop, two remained unchanged and 12 were newly represented in this year's dataset.

"Only 14% of global cities met the World Health Organization (WHO) annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³, down from 17% the previous year. Only thirteen countries/territories met the WHO annual average PM2.5 guideline-French Polynesia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Barbados, New Caledonia, Iceland, Bermuda, Reunion, Andorra, Australia, Grenada, Panama, Estonia," the report said.

Wildfires, intensified by climate change, played a major role in degrading global air quality in 2025. Record biomass emissions from Europe and Canada contributed to approximately 1,380 megatons of carbon.

"Air quality is a fragile asset that requires active stewardship to protect public health. 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,” says IQAir Global CEO Frank Hammes.

The 2025 report underscores the importance of expanding air quality monitoring networks, particularly through low-cost sensors that empower communities, researchers and policymakers with actionable data.

"This open, transparent data is an essential tool for holding polluters accountable and securing a healthy environment for everyone," he said.

PTI