World Air Quality Report

World Air Quality Report
 

News: According to the World Air Quality Report prepared by IQAir, Delhi ranked 4th out of 50 of the world’s most polluted cities in terms of PM2.5 levels in 2022.
 

Key Findings:
 IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, prepares the annual world air quality reports based on data from monitoring stations operated by governments and other institutions and organisations across the world.
 The 2022 report is based on PM2.5 data from 7,323 cities and 131 countries.
 Out of 131 countries, India ranked eighth with a population weighted average PM2.5 level of 53.3 μg/m3 in 2022. India is behind Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso and Kuwait on this list.
 Delhi had an average PM2.5 level of 92.6 μg/m3 in 2022, a little below the average of 96.4 μg/m3 in 2021.
 The report makes a distinction between New Delhi and Delhi, with New Delhi having an annual average PM2.5 level of 89.1 μg/m3.
 The WHO guideline for annual PM2.5 levels is 5 μg/m3.
 Lahore was the most polluted city in the world, followed by Hotan in China, and Bhiwadi in Rajasthan.
 New Delhi is the second most polluted capital city in the world, with N’Djamena in Chad topping the list.
 A total of 39 Indian cities (including ‘Delhi’ and ‘New Delhi’) are on the list of 50 of the world’s most polluted cities based on annual average PM2.5 levels in 2022.