New Delhi, Aug. 28 -- For the eighth consecutive year, India's capital has been ranked the world's most polluted city, with residents losing an average of 8.2 years of life expectancy due to toxic air. A new report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) underscores the severe public health crisis linked to fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

According to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) 2025 report, Delhi's PM2.5 levels in 2023 were high enough to cut nearly a decade off residents' lives if current exposure persists. While this figure has slightly improved from the 2018 report, which projected a 10-year reduction, it still represents the highest life expectancy loss globally.

The report highlights that South Asia remains the epicenter of the global air pollution crisis, with levels nearly eight times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 5 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³). In India, particulate concentrations increased compared to 2022, pushing the national average loss of life expectancy to 3.5 years.

The burden is especially stark in the northern plains. Residents of Bihar (5.4 years), Haryana (5.3 years), and Uttar Pradesh (5 years) also face steep reductions in life expectancy. In total, 544 million people, almost 39% of India's population, live in this high-risk belt and could gain up to five years of life if WHO guidelines were met.

"Consistent exposure to Delhi's air pollution over the past five years suggests residents could lose up to eight years of life if these conditions continue," said Tanushree Ganguly, Director of AQLI and co-author of the report.

She noted that half of the city's pollution stems from local sources, including vehicular emissions, industrial activity, and waste burning. Reducing these alone could bring Delhi closer to India's national air quality standard of 40 µg/m³ and add 4.5 years to

residents' lives.

Globally, the average person loses 1.9 years of life expectancy due to PM2.5 exposure, underscoring the disproportionate toll on South Asia. The report also stresses that particulate pollution's health impact in the region is nearly double that of childhood and maternal malnutrition and more than five times that of unsafe water and sanitation.

The findings serve as yet another urgent reminder that India's clean air policies must move beyond temporary measures. Without strict, long-term strategies to cut pollution at the source, Delhi's toxic skies will continue to rob millions of years of healthy

life from its people.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.