The eighth AQLI report released on Thursday, establishes a global warming link to air pollution – surprisingly in the United States and Canada. However, the global air pollution hotspot remains in South Asia. 

NEW DELHI – The latest data is out on how much air pollution is estimated to shorten lives, and New Delhi tops the global list for the eighth year running. 

The Indian megacity’s pollution level in 2023 was high enough to shave off 8.2 years of a person breathing its polluted air over the long term.

South Asia remains the most polluted region in the world. In countries here, the impact of particulate pollution on life expectancy is nearly twice that of childhood and maternal malnutrition and more than five times that of unsafe water, sanitation and handwashing. The report has been produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).

Within South Asia, Bangladesh is more polluted than India, averaging 60.8 micrograms/cubic metre (µg/m³) of the fine pollutant, PM 2.5, compared to 41 µg/m³ of it’s larger neighbour. But its capital Dhaka (76.4 µg/m³) is less polluted than Delhi, which – with 88.4 micrograms – is the highest of the global cities analysed. 

While India’s capital has topped the AQLI list for each of the eight reports so far, the data shared with Health Policy Watch shows a declining trend. It’s down from almost 10 years of life expectancy potentially lost in the 2018 report to 8.2 years in the latest report. 

Explaining what the declining numbers mean for a Delhi resident’s life span, Tanushree Ganguly, AQLI’s Director, told HPW, that, “our annual reports do not estimate the number of years of life already lost. Instead, they estimate the number of years that could be lost on average if people were exposed to the pollution levels of a given year over the long term.”

Government action in last eight years

While India and its cities continue to dominate rankings such as AQLI and those by IQAir, the government points to a series of measures it has implemented in the past decade, which it says are paying off.

It informed Parliament last month that the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)  launched in January 2019, has shown “positive results” with pollution reducing in 103 cities. As many as 22 cities have met the national standards, which aren’t as stringent as WHO’s recommendations.

The government’s Delhi-centred action includes the creation of an empowered agency, CAQM, and an emergency response plan, GRAP, to shut down sources of pollution on days when air pollution spikes. 

Across India, a network of real-time, high-quality monitors has been installed, from a handful in 2014 to almost 600 now. It ‘leap-frogged’ fuel standards, jumping from Bharat Stage 4 to BS 6 (BS being at par with Euro standards). The most significant programme was NCAP which aimed to cut pollution in about a hundred cities. Since then it expanded the cities covered to about 130, and the raised the target to cut pollution levels by 40% by 2026.

Is air quality action reducing pollution?

AQLI’s data, too, shows a decline for both Delhi and India. However, Ganguly says it is “difficult to conclusively determine” with current evidence if these changes are due to meteorological changes or on-ground action. The year-to-year differences in these estimates reflect actual measured changes in pollution levels. To a lesser extent, they may also be influenced by improvements in the underlying satellite-derived models.  

Source: AQLI, EPIC, New Delhi. 

Each report is based on data from two years prior; so 2025’s report is based on 2023 data, and 2018’s report on 2016’s data.

Despite the progress in government policy there have been gaps, some literally. Obstacles include a 46% vacancy rate in pollution control agencies, government’s inability to enforce a ban on burning crop residue and fireworks, recent setbacks over targeting sources of high pollution from old vehicles and coal-fired power plants, and the fact that the NCAP prioritises PM 10 pollution (large particles like dust) rather than PM 2.5, which is far deadlier for human health and harder to contain. 

Huge jump in US, Canada air pollution

Globally, the United States and Canada sprang a surprise. Wildfires in Canada significantly worsened air quality in 2023, with PM2.5 levels rising by over 50% in Canada. Air quality in the US, which has recorded huge wildfires in California and is also affected by the Canadian fires, worsened by 20% compared to 2022. Both countries recorded their largest year-on-year increases in PM2.5 concentrations since 1998. 

Canada’s wildfire season was the worst in its history. The AQLI report points to growing evidence of a link between climate change and air pollution. Canada’s most polluted provinces were Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and Alberta. Here, particulate pollution levels in 2023 were comparable to polluted Latin American countries like Bolivia and Honduras, cutting people’s lives short by more than two years. 

The AQLI team wants the ‘life index’ to resonate with people by communicating the health consequences of air pollution shortening their lifespans. They reason that when communities have access to data on the air they breathe – and

understand its impact on their health – they are more likely to take protective action and push governments toward accountability.

Image Credits: Mike Newbry/ Unsplash, AQLI 2025 Report.