Loni, India had the world's most polluted air in 2025, averaging 112.5 µg/m³ of PM2.5, more than 22 times the WHO guideline, ahead of Hotan, China (109.6) and Byrnihat, India (101.1), as of November 2026.
Illustration: the 20 cities with the highest annual average PM2.5 in 2025, led by Loni, India at 112.5 µg/m³.
| Rank | City | PM2.5, 2025 (µg/m³) | Times WHO guideline | Country | Region | PM2.5, 2024 (µg/m³) | Change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loni | 112.5 | 22.5× | India | South Asia | 91.7 | +22.7% |
| 2 | Hotan | 109.6 | 21.9× | China | East Asia | 84.5 | +29.7% |
| 3 | Byrnihat | 101.1 | 20.2× | India | South Asia | n/a | n/a |
| 4 | Delhi | 99.6 | 19.9× | India | South Asia | 108.3 | −8.0% |
| 5 | Faisalabad | 98.8 | 19.8× | Pakistan | South Asia | 88.8 | +11.3% |
| 6 | Rahim Yar Khan | 92.6 | 18.5× | Pakistan | South Asia | 134.3 | −31.0% |
| 7 | Ghaziabad | 89.2 | 17.8× | India | South Asia | 74.5 | +19.7% |
| 8 | Lahore | 88.9 | 17.8× | Pakistan | South Asia | 102.1 | −12.9% |
| 9 | Sukkur | 88.6 | 17.7× | Pakistan | South Asia | 129.1 | −31.4% |
| 10 | Ula | 86.8 | 17.4× | India | South Asia | n/a | n/a |
| 11 | Pattoki | 86.7 | 17.3× | Pakistan | South Asia | n/a | n/a |
| 12 | Mullanpur Dhaka | 86.2 | 17.2× | India | South Asia | n/a | n/a |
| 13 | Lodhran | 85.3 | 17.1× | Pakistan | South Asia | 181.3 | −53.0% |
| 14 | Kashgar | 84.0 | 16.8× | China | East Asia | 55.2 | +52.2% |
| 15 | Madhyamgram | 83.3 | 16.7× | India | South Asia | n/a | n/a |
| 16 | New Delhi | 82.2 | 16.4× | India | South Asia | 91.6 | −10.3% |
| 17 | Peshawar | 81.7 | 16.3× | Pakistan | South Asia | 91.0 | −10.2% |
| 18 | Noida | 80.5 | 16.1× | India | South Asia | 79.5 | +1.3% |
| 19 | Kizilsu | 79.7 | 15.9× | China | East Asia | 53.5 | +49.0% |
| 20 | Sialkot | 78.6 | 15.7× | Pakistan | South Asia | 88.8 | −11.5% |
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View ranking →Annual average PM2.5 for calendar year 2025, as of November 2026. Data are from IQAir’s World Air Quality Report 2025, published 24 March 2026, which draws on monitoring stations in 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions and territories; only 14% of those cities met the WHO guideline.[1][2] The figures are for individual cities as IQAir defines them, not metropolitan-area averages, and only places with enough monitoring appear, so cities without sensors cannot be ranked. PM2.5 is fine particulate matter, measured here in micrograms per cubic metre of air (µg/m³). The WHO’s 2021 annual guideline is 5 µg/m³[4]; “times WHO guideline” divides each city’s figure by 5. This ranks air pollution levels only and is not a measure of health outcomes. Change vs 2024 is the percentage difference from IQAir’s 2024 figure; n/a means none is listed. All 20 cities are in South or East Asia, and every one is far above the guideline. IQAir also publishes a separate ranking of major cities, which answers a different question. For a health ranking elsewhere, see Highest Life Expectancy.
Loni had the highest annual average PM2.5 of any city in IQAir’s 2025 data, 112.5 µg/m³, up about 23% from 91.7 in 2024 and more than 22 times the WHO guideline.[1][2] Indian press reports describe it as a town in Uttar Pradesh next to Ghaziabad.[3]
Hotan was the most polluted city in China in the 2025 ranking, up from 84.5 in 2024.[1] China has three cities in this top 20 (Hotan, Kashgar and Kizilsu), and all three rose by more than 25 points over the year.
Byrnihat, in Meghalaya, ranked third at 101.1 µg/m³.[3] IQAir lists no 2024 value for it, so its change from the previous year cannot be shown.[1]
Delhi averaged 99.6 µg/m³, down from 108.3 in 2024 but still about 20 times the WHO guideline.[1] Reports on the 2025 edition say it remained the most polluted capital city in the world for an eighth year.[3] New Delhi, listed separately, ranks 16th at 82.2.
Faisalabad is the highest-placed Pakistani city, at 98.8 µg/m³, up from 88.8 in 2024.[1] Pakistan had the highest national average in the report, 67.3 µg/m³.[3]
Rahim Yar Khan fell from 134.3 in 2024 to 92.6, one of the largest year-on-year drops in the top 20, yet still ranks sixth.[1]
Ghaziabad rose from 74.5 to 89.2 µg/m³, about 18 times the WHO guideline.[1] Noida (80.5) and Delhi, also in the table, sit in the same northern Indian region.
Lahore averaged 88.9 µg/m³ in 2025, down from 102.1 the year before.[1]
Sukkur recorded 88.6 µg/m³, down from 129.1 in 2024.[1]
Ula completes the top 10 at 86.8 µg/m³; with Loni, Byrnihat, Delhi and Ghaziabad, five of the ten most polluted cities are in India.[1][3] No 2024 value is listed for it.
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