Delhi chokes with 380 AQI: Here's how many people die from air pollution in India, world every year

Delhi residents woke up to another day of toxic smog blanketing the city skyline, as air quality levels, ironically, improved to the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday, with an AQI of 380.

The marginal improvement in Delhi AQI today was reported days after the implementation of GRAP-4 restrictions, as the city breathed air in the hazardous ‘severe’ zone.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data for 8:00 am on Tuesday, Delhi's AQI was recorded at 378 in the ‘very poor’ category.

On Sunday, official index readings exceeded 450 at several monitoring stations, up from 430 on Saturday and the highest so far this winter season, according to data from CPCB. On Monday, it stood at 449.

An AQI between 301 and 400 is considered ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 is ‘severe’. The CPCB does not register an AQI value beyond 500.

The Delhi government acknowledged that AQI levels in the city have remained at a ‘severe’ level for at least the last three days, saying that the polluted air can cause respiratory effects in healthy people and seriously impact the health of those with heart or lung diseases.

How many people die from air pollution every year?

According to a 2024 study published in The Lancet Planetary Health, long-term exposure to polluted air is linked to 1.5 million deaths every year in India.

The 2025 Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report by the University of Chicago found that air pollution, India’s most severe health threat, has reduced the country’s average life expectancy by 3.5 years.

The report noted that 46% of Indians live in areas that even exceed the national PM2.5 standards of 40 µg/m³. Delhi-NCR was reportedly among the worst-affected areas in the country, with its residents facing a loss of 4.74 years of life expectancy.

Meeting the stricter 5 µg/m³ guideline by the World Health Organization (WHO) could add up to 9.4 months of life expectancy even in cleaner regions. Based on the WHO’s standard, Delhi-NCR residents can expect an 8.2-year reduction in life expectancy.

However, in reference to air pollution deaths in India, Shweta Narayan, a campaign lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said, “Deaths related to air pollution are not being counted. And the reason why it's not being counted is that there are no systematic mechanisms to do so.”

Globally, air pollution is the second leading risk factor for early death, surpassed only by high blood pressure, according to the State of Global Air (SoGA) Report 2025.

The report said as many as 7.9 million deaths were attributed to air pollution in 2023 — about one in eight worldwide.

Of this total, the SoGA report said 4.9 million deaths were attributable to ambient PM2.5 exposure, 2.8 million were from household air pollution, and 470,000 were from ozone.

Avoid all outdoor activities

Healthcare experts warned residents to avoid all outdoor activities as hospitals reported an influx of patients with breathing difficulties and eye irritation.

“New Delhi is a gas chamber right now. Air purifiers can help only a bit, so it's high time the government comes up with some permanent solutions,” Naresh Dang, a physician at Max Healthcare, told Associated Press (AP).

Dr Saurabh Mittal, Assistant Professor in the Pulmonology Department at AIIMS, told PTI that staying indoors was the primary precaution.

“Children should play inside, and people should wear N95 masks if going out is unavoidable. Those with medical conditions should take their medicines regularly, and elderly people should take vaccines recommended by their doctors to reduce the risk of lung infections,” he said.