India Ranks As The Third Most Polluted Country In 2023: IQAir Report

India has been declared as the third-most polluted country in 2023, after Bangladesh and Pakistan, according to a report released by Swiss air quality monitoring body, IQAir.

In the report's compilation of the 50 cities with the highest pollution levels globally, India accounted for 42 cities. Begusarai emerged as the most polluted urban area in 2023, with Guwahati and Delhi following closely behind.

Other Indian cities featuring in the top 50 most polluted cities of the world list included Greater Noida (11), Muzzafarnagar (16), Gurgaon (17), Arrah (18), Dadri (19), Patna (20), Faridabad (25), Noida (26), Meerut (28), Ghaziabad (35) and Rohtak (47).

This is the fourth consecutive time that Delhi has emerged as the world’s most polluted capital city.

The city’s PM2.5 levels increased from 89.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 to 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.