SmogRank / Cleaner or dirtier / India

India: cleaner or dirtier, 2026

In India, 144 cities have enough days in both years to compare 2026 so far (1 January to 6 October) with the same days of 2025: 61 got dirtier and 80 cleaner.

The 61 cities that got dirtier, biggest rise first

#	City	2025	2026	Change
1	NoidaUttar Pradesh, India	113	151	+15.6 µg/m³+39%
2	DādriUttar Pradesh, India	125	154	+14.1 µg/m³+31%
3	AlwarRajasthan, India	86	117	+13.9 µg/m³+49%
4	MeerutUttar Pradesh, India	90	118	+12.4 µg/m³+41%
5	Greater NoidaUttar Pradesh, India	95	124	+12.0 µg/m³+36%
6	GummidipundiTamil Nadu, India	130	153	+11.4 µg/m³+24%
7	BhiwadiRajasthan, India	135	154	+10.6 µg/m³+22%
8	Dera MāndiDelhi, India	139	154	+8.8 µg/m³+17%
9	VaranasiUttar Pradesh, India	67	82	+7.6 µg/m³+42%
10	BareillyUttar Pradesh, India	60	73	+7.3 µg/m³+53%
11	BaddiHimachal Pradesh, India	114	131	+7.1 µg/m³+17%
12	UdaipurRajasthan, India	105	123	+7.1 µg/m³+19%
13	BargaonRajasthan, India	105	123	+7.1 µg/m³+19%
14	ByasanagarOdisha, India	85	98	+6.8 µg/m³+25%
15	PadoliMaharashtra, India	84	96	+6.4 µg/m³+24%
16	PithampurMadhya Pradesh, India	112	127	+5.9 µg/m³+15%
17	IndoreMadhya Pradesh, India	76	87	+5.8 µg/m³+26%
18	AmritsarPunjab, India	107	120	+5.5 µg/m³+15%
19	VrindāvanUttar Pradesh, India	71	81	+5.3 µg/m³+27%
20	JaisalmerRajasthan, India	75	85	+5.2 µg/m³+23%
21	FīrozābādUttar Pradesh, India	76	85	+4.8 µg/m³+21%
22	MuzaffarnagarUttar Pradesh, India	130	142	+4.7 µg/m³+10%
23	JaipurRajasthan, India	107	118	+4.5 µg/m³+12%
24	BarbilOdisha, India	97	107	+4.4 µg/m³+13%
25	MorādābādUttar Pradesh, India	84	92	+4.4 µg/m³+17%
26	BengaluruKarnataka, India	76	83	+3.9 µg/m³+17%
27	ChittorgarhRajasthan, India	93	101	+3.8 µg/m³+12%
28	HaldiaWest Bengal, India	69	75	+3.7 µg/m³+20%
29	SholapurMaharashtra, India	81	88	+3.4 µg/m³+13%
30	AgraUttar Pradesh, India	88	94	+3.1 µg/m³+11%
31	HubballiKarnataka, India	71	77	+3.1 µg/m³+16%
32	MahādMaharashtra, India	91	96	+3.0 µg/m³+10%
33	BirvādiMaharashtra, India	91	96	+3.0 µg/m³+10%
34	BhubaneswarOdisha, India	75	81	+3.0 µg/m³+14%
35	KeonjhargarhOdisha, India	82	87	+2.9 µg/m³+11%
36	SīkarRajasthan, India	86	91	+2.8 µg/m³+10%
37	BhopalMadhya Pradesh, India	77	82	+2.5 µg/m³+11%
38	JalandharPunjab, India	106	111	+2.3 µg/m³+6%
39	JabalpurMadhya Pradesh, India	75	79	+2.3 µg/m³+11%
40	KhannaPunjab, India	105	110	+2.1 µg/m³+6%
41	DelhiIndia	159	161	+2.1 µg/m³+3%
42	MuzaffarpurBihar, India	100	105	+1.9 µg/m³+5%
43	RaipurChhattisgarh, India	67	71	+1.8 µg/m³+10%
44	BhāgalpurBihar, India	100	104	+1.5 µg/m³+4%
45	NeelankaraiTamil Nadu, India	79	82	+1.4 µg/m³+6%
46	NandriRajasthan, India	71	74	+1.4 µg/m³+7%
47	PratāpgarhRajasthan, India	79	81	+1.3 µg/m³+5%
48	JhālāwārRajasthan, India	87	89	+1.2 µg/m³+4%
49	AkolaMaharashtra, India	86	88	+0.9 µg/m³+3%
50	BoisarMaharashtra, India	84	86	+0.8 µg/m³+3%
51	MadikeriKarnataka, India	60	61	+0.8 µg/m³+6%
52	BawānaDelhi, India	162	163	+0.8 µg/m³+1%
53	TonkRajasthan, India	99	100	+0.7 µg/m³+2%
54	PāliRajasthan, India	137	139	+0.6 µg/m³+1%
55	Pimpri-ChinchwadMaharashtra, India	82	83	+0.6 µg/m³+2%
56	JalorRajasthan, India	77	78	+0.5 µg/m³+2%
57	KhurjaUttar Pradesh, India	93	94	+0.4 µg/m³+1%
58	ChūruRajasthan, India	86	86	+0.2 µg/m³+1%
59	GwaliorMadhya Pradesh, India	96	96	+0.1 µg/m³0%
60	DewasMadhya Pradesh, India	89	90	+0.1 µg/m³0%
61	BelpaharOdisha, India	87	87	+0.1 µg/m³0%

The 80 cities that got cleaner, biggest fall first

#	City	2025	2026	Change
1	Sri GanganagarRajasthan, India	147	90	−24.0 µg/m³−44%
2	Kahi KuchiAssam, India	139	98	−16.7 µg/m³−33%
3	RourkelaOdisha, India	134	99	−14.0 µg/m³−29%
4	JhānsiUttar Pradesh, India	97	75	−11.9 µg/m³−35%
5	ĀsansolWest Bengal, India	110	85	−11.9 µg/m³−30%
6	SiliguriWest Bengal, India	94	75	−10.5 µg/m³−33%
7	RānīganjWest Bengal, India	100	81	−10.4 µg/m³−29%
8	BadlapurMaharashtra, India	102	82	−10.2 µg/m³−28%
9	KohimaNagaland, India	83	64	−10.0 µg/m³−38%
10	HanumāngarhRajasthan, India	104	85	−9.6 µg/m³−26%
11	HājīpurBihar, India	155	142	−8.6 µg/m³−14%
12	KolkataWest Bengal, India	121	100	−8.6 µg/m³−20%
13	PatiālaPunjab, India	96	81	−8.3 µg/m³−25%
14	ThiruvananthapuramKerala, India	74	59	−8.1 µg/m³−38%
15	ChandigarhIndia	98	84	−7.7 µg/m³−22%
16	BharatpurRajasthan, India	82	67	−7.6 µg/m³−30%
17	BathindaPunjab, India	96	82	−7.2 µg/m³−22%
18	SiltaraChhattisgarh, India	112	96	−6.9 µg/m³−17%
19	BhiwandiMaharashtra, India	102	88	−6.7 µg/m³−19%
20	MumbaiMaharashtra, India	93	80	−6.6 µg/m³−21%
21	VirārMaharashtra, India	90	78	−6.5 µg/m³−22%
22	PatnaBihar, India	118	102	−6.5 µg/m³−15%
23	SerilingampalleTelangana, India	90	79	−6.0 µg/m³−20%
24	AngulOdisha, India	117	102	−5.8 µg/m³−14%
25	RasapūdipalemAndhra Pradesh, India	103	91	−5.7 µg/m³−16%
26	GuwahatiAssam, India	97	86	−5.7 µg/m³−17%
27	Sawai MadhopurRajasthan, India	88	77	−5.4 µg/m³−19%
28	NashikMaharashtra, India	90	80	−5.3 µg/m³−18%
29	GandhinagarGujarat, India	97	87	−5.2 µg/m³−15%
30	DhaulpurRajasthan, India	105	93	−5.2 µg/m³−14%
31	PrayagrajUttar Pradesh, India	79	70	−5.2 µg/m³−21%
32	LudhianaPunjab, India	138	126	−4.9 µg/m³−10%
33	DurgChhattisgarh, India	68	59	−4.7 µg/m³−26%
34	NāgaurRajasthan, India	84	76	−4.6 µg/m³−17%
35	HyderabadTelangana, India	104	94	−4.6 µg/m³−12%
36	KalyānMaharashtra, India	110	99	−4.5 µg/m³−12%
37	NajafgarhDelhi, India	129	119	−4.3 µg/m³−9%
38	BūndiRajasthan, India	85	78	−4.0 µg/m³−14%
39	LucknowUttar Pradesh, India	123	114	−3.8 µg/m³−9%
40	JodhpurRajasthan, India	84	77	−3.7 µg/m³−14%
41	KalaburagiKarnataka, India	74	68	−3.5 µg/m³−16%
42	DurgapurWest Bengal, India	93	87	−3.5 µg/m³−11%
43	KhargharMaharashtra, India	97	90	−3.5 µg/m³−10%
44	TalojeMaharashtra, India	97	90	−3.5 µg/m³−10%
45	DūngarpurRajasthan, India	87	81	−2.9 µg/m³−10%
46	RatlāmMadhya Pradesh, India	88	83	−2.8 µg/m³−10%
47	JalgaonMaharashtra, India	102	96	−2.8 µg/m³−8%
48	GhāziābādUttar Pradesh, India	145	138	−2.6 µg/m³−5%
49	PuneMaharashtra, India	87	82	−2.5 µg/m³−9%
50	MānpurMadhya Pradesh, India	100	95	−2.5 µg/m³−7%
51	KolhāpurMaharashtra, India	74	70	−2.4 µg/m³−11%
52	DausaRajasthan, India	94	89	−2.4 µg/m³−7%
53	NarelaDelhi, India	155	153	−2.2 µg/m³−4%
54	ShrīrāmpurWest Bengal, India	87	83	−2.1 µg/m³−7%
55	BaripādaOdisha, India	88	84	−2.1 µg/m³−7%
56	BārānRajasthan, India	82	78	−2.0 µg/m³−8%
57	AmravatiMaharashtra, India	83	80	−1.8 µg/m³−7%
58	ThāneMaharashtra, India	89	86	−1.8 µg/m³−6%
59	GayaBihar, India	104	99	−1.7 µg/m³−5%
60	BārmerRajasthan, India	73	70	−1.6 µg/m³−8%
61	AhmedabadGujarat, India	106	102	−1.6 µg/m³−4%
62	NandedMaharashtra, India	88	85	−1.6 µg/m³−5%
63	KotaRajasthan, India	92	89	−1.5 µg/m³−5%
64	TirumalaAndhra Pradesh, India	81	78	−1.4 µg/m³−6%
65	BānswāraRajasthan, India	99	96	−1.3 µg/m³−4%
66	ChennaiTamil Nadu, India	86	84	−1.3 µg/m³−5%
67	VijayawadaAndhra Pradesh, India	107	103	−1.3 µg/m³−3%
68	SaugorMadhya Pradesh, India	85	82	−1.2 µg/m³−4%
69	Aya NagarDelhi, India	113	110	−1.1 µg/m³−3%
70	AurangabadMaharashtra, India	89	88	−1.0 µg/m³−3%
71	AjmerRajasthan, India	106	104	−1.0 µg/m³−3%
72	NagpurMaharashtra, India	98	97	−0.7 µg/m³−2%
73	LaturMaharashtra, India	87	86	−0.5 µg/m³−2%
74	BhilwaraRajasthan, India	91	90	−0.5 µg/m³−2%
75	JhunjhunūnRajasthan, India	88	87	−0.4 µg/m³−1%
76	SilcharAssam, India	74	73	−0.4 µg/m³−2%
77	KanpurUttar Pradesh, India	99	98	−0.4 µg/m³−1%
78	RajamahendravaramAndhra Pradesh, India	74	73	−0.2 µg/m³−1%
79	CuttackOdisha, India	84	83	−0.2 µg/m³−1%
80	SirohiRajasthan, India	72	72	−0.1 µg/m³0%

Means in US AQI over the days a city was measured in both years, the same calendar days each year; a city needs 55% of the days paired, and at least 30. The change is in µg/m³ and per cent. How we compare.

The US EPA's Air Quality Index for PM2.5 (2024 breakpoints). Show values as: µg/m³ · US AQI · India AQI · China AQI · European AQI · UK DAQI · Canada AQHI+. About the scales

Updated 2026-10-07 12:07 UTC. Values are PM2.5 (fine particles), the median of each city's monitors, as the US AQI PM2.5 sub-index.