Air pollution is a serious concern in India, with significant health impacts. Smart Air has analyzed data from 2023 to highlight the “20 Most Polluted Cities in India”.
Scroll down below for the full rundown of India’s most polluted cities and their annual PM2.5 levels. It’s worth noting that the World Health Organization suggests an annual limit of only 5 micrograms for PM2.5.
Rankings: 20 Most Polluted Cities in India in 2025
1. Punjabi Bagh, Delhi (99.4 µg/m3)
2. Delhi, India (96.1 µg/m3)
3. Noida, Uttar Pradesh (91.7 µg/m3)
4. Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh (88.8 µg/m3)
5. Bhiwadi, Rajasthan (82.6 µg/m3)
6. Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh (82.2 µg/m3)
7. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (71.1 µg/m3)
8. Hajipur, Bihar (71 µg/m3)
9. Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh (68.6 µg/m3)
10. Hapur, Uttar Pradesh (67.1 µg/m3)
11. Gummidipoondi, Tamil Nadu (65 µg/m3)
12. Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh (64.5 µg/m3)
13. Kota, Rajasthan (64 µg/m3)
14. Talcher, Odisha (63.9 µg/m3)
15. Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh (63.6 µg/m3)
16. Mandideep, Madhya Pradesh (63.2 µg/m3)
17. Howrah, West Bengal (62.7 µg/m3)
18. Patna, Bihar (62.6 µg/m3)
19. Pune, Maharashtra (62.1 µg/m3)
20. Muzaffarpur, Bihar (61.3 µg/m3)
Read More: The 25 Least Polluted Cities in the World for 2025?
Analysis of the Most Polluted Cities in India
All of the ranked cities had average air quality many times above the WHO-recommended healthy limit. The worst city on the list, Punjabi Bagh, averaged PM2.5 levels over 20 times higher than the WHO-recommended limit.
How Air Pollution Was Measured to Find the Most Polluted Cities in India
There are various pollutants (both particles and gases) that can be found in the air. One of the most commonly tracked pollutants is very small, fine particles called PM2.5.
These small pollutants are under 2.5 micrograms in width and are considered to be one of the more dangerous pollutants due to their ability to enter deep into the lungs and bloodstream. The above rankings of the most polluted cities in India were ranked based on their 2025 average PM2.5 pollution levels.
Open Data
The raw PM2.5 2023 India pollution data used for the rankings of India’s most polluted cities are openly available on aqi.cn.
Watch: Run Down of Top 5 Most Polluted Cities in the World
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Something of interest-Punjab is featured in both, most and least polluted lists
Something of interest-Karnataka is featured in both, most and least polluted lists.
It is very good
How hassan is most polluted city? Can I know