Most Polluted Cities in India
Live AQI rankings for 486 Indian cities, updated every few hours.
Data: Open-Meteo CAMS (global ~45 km), refreshed 3× daily · Updated 7
As of the latest update (7h ago), Karnal, Haryana is India's most polluted city with an AQI of 473 (Severe). Bihar dominates the top 10 with 7 cities in the list. PM2.5 is the dominant pollutant in 8 of the top 10 cities. At the other end, Sulthan Bathery, Kerala has the cleanest air with AQI 2 (Good).
Cities Tracked
486
across India
Last Updated
7h ago
updated 3× daily
Top 50 Most Polluted Indian Cities
| # | City | State | AQI | Category | Pollutant | PM2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karnal | Haryana | 473 | Severe | pm10 | 130.9 |
| 2 | Patiala | Punjab | 339 | Very Poor | pm10 | 79.4 |
| 3 | East Champaran | Bihar | 326 | Very Poor | pm25 | 152.7 |
| 4 | Motihari | Bihar | 326 | Very Poor | pm25 | 152.7 |
| 5 | Sheohar | Bihar | 305 | Very Poor | pm25 | 125.7 |
| 6 | Muzaffarpur | Bihar | 301 | Very Poor | pm25 | 120.6 |
| 7 | Vaishali | Bihar | 301 | Very Poor | pm25 | 120.6 |
| 8 | Durgapur | West Bengal | 296 | Poor | pm25 | 118.7 |
| 9 | Samastipur | Bihar | 296 | Poor | pm25 | 118.7 |
| 10 | Gopalganj | Bihar | 282 | Poor | pm25 | 114.6 |
| 11 | Siwan | Bihar | 282 | Poor | pm25 | 114.6 |
| 12 | Siddharthnagar | Uttar Pradesh | 274 | Poor | pm25 | 112.2 |
| 13 | Rourkela | Odisha | 273 | Poor | pm25 | 111.8 |
| 14 | Darbhanga | Bihar | 272 | Poor | pm25 | 111.5 |
| 15 | Sitamarhi | Bihar | 264 | Poor | pm25 | 109.0 |
| 16 | Madhubani | Bihar | 260 | Poor | pm25 | 107.8 |
| 17 | Katihar | Bihar | 253 | Poor | pm25 | 105.9 |
| 18 | Purnia | Bihar | 253 | Poor | pm25 | 105.9 |
| 19 | Basti | Uttar Pradesh | 252 | Poor | pm25 | 105.5 |
| 20 | Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 251 | Poor | pm25 | 105.2 |
| 21 | Bettiah | Bihar | 250 | Poor | pm25 | 105.0 |
| 22 | Ara | Bihar | 244 | Poor | pm25 | 102.9 |
| 23 | Azamgarh | Uttar Pradesh | 244 | Poor | pm25 | 103.1 |
| 24 | Bhojpur | Bihar | 244 | Poor | pm25 | 102.9 |
| 25 | Chapra | Bihar | 244 | Poor | pm25 | 102.9 |
| 26 | Mau | Uttar Pradesh | 244 | Poor | pm25 | 103.1 |
| 27 | Saran | Bihar | 244 | Poor | pm25 | 102.9 |
| 28 | Faizabad | Uttar Pradesh | 241 | Poor | pm25 | 102.2 |
| 29 | Deoria | Uttar Pradesh | 237 | Poor | pm25 | 100.8 |
| 30 | Madhepura | Bihar | 234 | Poor | pm25 | 99.9 |
| 31 | Saharsa | Bihar | 234 | Poor | pm25 | 99.9 |
| 32 | Supaul | Bihar | 234 | Poor | pm25 | 99.9 |
| 33 | Araria | Bihar | 230 | Poor | pm25 | 98.7 |
| 34 | Danapur | Bihar | 227 | Poor | pm25 | 97.8 |
| 35 | Hajipur | Bihar | 227 | Poor | pm25 | 97.8 |
| 36 | Patna | Bihar | 227 | Poor | pm25 | 97.8 |
| 37 | Patna Sahib | Bihar | 227 | Poor | pm25 | 97.8 |
| 38 | Panipat | Haryana | 225 | Poor | pm25 | 97.3 |
| 39 | Bardhaman | West Bengal | 224 | Poor | pm25 | 96.9 |
| 40 | Bahraich | Uttar Pradesh | 223 | Poor | pm25 | 96.6 |
| 41 | Begusarai | Bihar | 212 | Poor | pm25 | 93.4 |
| 42 | Farrukhabad | Uttar Pradesh | 210 | Poor | pm25 | 92.7 |
| 43 | Asansol | West Bengal | 204 | Poor | pm25 | 91.0 |
| 44 | Jodhpur | Rajasthan | 204 | Poor | pm10 | 62.4 |
| 45 | Kulti | West Bengal | 204 | Poor | pm25 | 91.0 |
| 46 | Dhanbad | Jharkhand | 200 | Moderate | pm25 | 89.9 |
| 47 | Kasganj | Uttar Pradesh | 200 | Moderate | pm25 | 89.9 |
| 48 | Mainpuri | Uttar Pradesh | 196 | Moderate | pm25 | 88.7 |
| 49 | Ballia | Uttar Pradesh | 193 | Moderate | pm25 | 87.8 |
| 50 | Buxar | Bihar | 193 | Moderate | pm25 | 87.8 |
Metro Cities — AQI Rankings
Air quality in India's major metropolitan cities right now.
State-wise Rankings — Most Polluted
All 36 states and union territories ranked by median AQI.
| # | State | Cities | Median AQI | Category | Worst | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bihar | 47 | 227 | Poor | 326 | 69 |
| 2 | Delhi | 4 | 170 | Moderate | 170 | 170 |
| 3 | Haryana | 8 | 156 | Moderate | 473 | 113 |
| 4 | Punjab | 6 | 148 | Moderate | 339 | 87 |
| 5 | West Bengal | 19 | 147 | Moderate | 296 | 117 |
| 6 | Uttar Pradesh | 70 | 133 | Moderate | 274 | 44 |
| 7 | Rajasthan | 10 | 108 | Moderate | 204 | 37 |
| 8 | Jharkhand | 6 | 105 | Moderate | 200 | 70 |
| 9 | Chandigarh UT | 1 | 78 | Satisfactory | 78 | 78 |
| 10 | Chhattisgarh | 28 | 61 | Satisfactory | 82 | 32 |
| 11 | Tripura | 1 | 61 | Satisfactory | 61 | 61 |
| 12 | Manipur | 1 | 61 | Satisfactory | 61 | 61 |
| 13 | Odisha | 5 | 60 | Satisfactory | 273 | 48 |
| 14 | Sikkim | 1 | 60 | Satisfactory | 60 | 60 |
| 15 | Assam | 5 | 59 | Satisfactory | 80 | 35 |
| 16 | Nagaland | 2 | 52 | Satisfactory | 63 | 41 |
| 17 | Madhya Pradesh | 31 | 49 | Good | 125 | 38 |
| 18 | Himachal Pradesh | 1 | 48 | Good | 48 | 48 |
| 19 | Jammu & Kashmir | 2 | 43 | Good | 48 | 38 |
| 20 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 3 | 41 | Good | 52 | 29 |
| 21 | Mizoram | 1 | 40 | Good | 40 | 40 |
| 22 | Gujarat | 9 | 38 | Good | 57 | 32 |
| 23 | Maharashtra | 32 | 36 | Good | 41 | 23 |
| 24 | Telangana | 5 | 34 | Good | 44 | 34 |
| 25 | Meghalaya | 1 | 30 | Good | 30 | 30 |
| 26 | Puducherry | 1 | 27 | Good | 27 | 27 |
| 27 | Uttarakhand | 1 | 24 | Good | 24 | 24 |
| 28 | Arunachal Pradesh | 1 | 24 | Good | 24 | 24 |
| 29 | Andhra Pradesh | 14 | 22 | Good | 72 | 9 |
| 30 | Lakshadweep | 1 | 17 | Good | 17 | 17 |
| 31 | Tamil Nadu | 95 | 16 | Good | 45 | 5 |
| 32 | Goa | 3 | 16 | Good | 16 | 15 |
| 33 | Karnataka | 12 | 12 | Good | 28 | 6 |
| 34 | Kerala | 56 | 12 | Good | 18 | 2 |
| 35 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 1 | 10 | Good | 10 | 10 |
| 36 | Ladakh | 2 | 5 | Good | 6 | 3 |
Regional Breakdown
Median AQI by region across India.
East
14730 cities · Moderate
North
145142 cities · Moderate
Northeast
5913 cities · Satisfactory
Central
5059 cities · Good
West
3857 cities · Good
South
14185 cities · Good
Why Are These Cities the Most Polluted?
The majority of India's most polluted cities lie in the Indo-Gangetic Plain — a low-lying region stretching from Punjab to Bihar. Geographic factors like low wind speeds, thermal inversions in winter, and proximity to major industrial and agricultural zones contribute to persistent high pollution levels.
Crop stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana during October–November sends a dense smoke plume across northern India. Combined with vehicular emissions, construction dust, and coal-fired power plants, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels in cities like Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Lucknow often exceed safe limits by 5–10×.
Southern and coastal cities tend to have better air quality due to higher wind speeds, proximity to the sea, and lower industrial density. However, rapid urbanisation is worsening air quality even in traditionally clean cities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Methodology & Data Transparency
- Data source: Open-Meteo CAMS global air-quality model (~45 km resolution, free public API). CPCB station readings shown on individual Indian city pages where available.
- AQI scale: Indian NAQI (National Air Quality Index) — 6 categories from Good to Severe.
- Coverage: 486 Indian cities across all states and union territories.
- Update frequency: Rankings refreshed 3× daily (morning, afternoon, evening IST).
- Dominant pollutant: The single pollutant with the highest sub-index drives the overall AQI for each city.
Latest Analysis
Delhi AQI hit 500 in March 2026 while Tamil Nadu recorded 10. Read the full city-by-city air quality breakdown.
India Air Quality March 2026 →Historical Rankings
Browse daily snapshots of India's most and least polluted cities going back to March 2026.
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