Delhi is the most polluted capital city globally

According to the report from IQ Air, Delhi remained the most polluted capital city in the world but India, on the whole, had improved its average annual PM 2.5 (particulate matter) levels higher in 2020 than in 2019.

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IQ Air is a Swiss air quality technology company, specialising in protection against airborne pollutants, and developing air quality monitoring and air cleaning products.

India is the third most polluted country in 2020, unlike in 2019, when its air was the fifth most noxious.

Bangladesh and Pakistan were the countries in 2020 with worse average PM2.5 levels than India.

China ranked 11th in the latest report, a deterioration from the 14th in the previous edition of the report.

When ranked by cities, Hotan in China was the most polluted, with an average concentration of 110.2 μg/m³, followed by Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh at 106. Of the 15 most polluted cities, 13 were in India.

In the 2020 report, 106 countries were evaluated. The pollution levels are weighted averages, meaning that the population of a country influences the pollution values reported.

In 2020, 84% of all monitored countries observed air quality improvements.

However, of the 106 monitored countries, only 24 met the World Health Organization annual guidelines for PM 2.5.