India's air quality: What we know from latest report
India just landed sixth on the list of the world's most polluted countries, according to IQAir's latest report.
While there's been a small win (PM2.5 levels dropped to a three-year low at 48.9 ug/m3 in 2025), the air is still far from clean for millions living here.
New Delhi remains the world's most polluted capital
India slipped from third to sixth place mainly because even more polluted countries like Tajikistan were added this year.
Still, New Delhi holds onto its title as the world's most polluted capital, with PM2.5 at 82.2 ug/m3.
The report also points out that most of the top polluted cities are in Central and South Asia, especially India and Pakistan.
NCAP's focus on road dust
India's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) has focused mostly on controlling road dust (about 64% of its resources) while only 1% went toward industrial pollution.
NCAP allocated 64% of its funding to road dust reduction and 1% to industrial pollution.