According to the latest IQAir report, Delhi stands out as the most polluted capital globally and the most polluted cosmopolitan city in India, with the highest overall AQI of 108.3 in 2024.

IQAir's report highlights that 13 of the top 20 most polluted cities worldwide are in India, including Mullanpur and Faridabad, alongside Byrnihat and Delhi.

All but one of the world’s top 20 most polluted cities last year were in Asia, a new study shows. The majority of these cities – 13 – are in the world’s most populous country, India, where booming economic growth is fired largely by coal and where hundreds of millions live in traffic-clogged and congested megacities .