Begusarai, the most polluted city in the world

In March 2024, an update to the World Air Quality Report (IQAir report) was published, which analysed air pollution levels in different parts of the world.

The report was based on the analysis of data from more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations. in 7,812 locations in 134 countries, territories and regions, collected during 2023.

The study focuses on fine particles, known as PM2.5, which are the smallest pollutant and, at the same time, the most harmful to health.

In 2023, the countries with the highest levels of PM2.5 pollution were Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, exceeding WHO guidelines.

Of the 100 cities with the worst air pollution in the world last year, all but one were in Asia.

The vast majority of these cities, 83 in total, were located in India, where pollution levels exceeded the air quality guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO) by more than 10 times.

In 2023, Begusarai, a city of half a million people in the northern Indian state of Bihar, emerged as the most polluted city in the world, with an average annual concentration of PM2.5 of 118.9, or 23 times higher than WHO guidelines. It was followed in the IQAir ranking by the Indian cities of Guwahati (Assam), Delhi and Mullanpur (Punjab).

Across India, 1.3 billion people, or 96% of the population, live with air pollution levels seven times higher than WHO guidelines.

Only 10 countries and territories had air quality considered “healthy”: Finland, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and French Polynesia.

The climate crisis plays a crucial role in the degradation of air quality, threatening the health of billions of people around the world.