83 of the World’S 100 Most Polluted Cities Are in India — the Country Bidding for the 2036 Olympics

The list shared on X on Monday ranks the 100 cities with the highest yearly average of fine particulate matter, PM2.5. Begusarai in Bihar tops it at 118.9 micrograms per cubic metre, followed by Guwahati and Delhi. Only Lahore in Pakistan breaks into the top five for another country.

The figures match IQAir’s 2023 World Air Quality Report. In that ranking, 83 of the 100 most polluted cities were Indian, not 84 as the post says. Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Vietnam and South Africa share the rest.

The newest numbers

The list is not the latest. IQAir’s 2025 report, published this year, names Loni near Delhi as the world’s most polluted city at 112.5 µg/m³, more than 22 times the WHO guideline of 5. India is home to three of the four worst cities, while Pakistan is now the most polluted country overall; India ranks sixth.

New Delhi remains the most polluted capital in the world, at 82.2 µg/m³ in 2025.

The Olympic angle

India wants to host the 2036 Olympic Games in Ahmedabad. On 6 October the IOC listed India among seven interested parties, alongside Germany, Hungary, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa and Türkiye. The bidders present to the IOC in November, and the host is to be elected in mid-2029.