The World’s Most Polluted Countries
India now dominates the global air pollution rankings, as China’s public policy efforts yield dramatic improvements.
February 18, 2026
Author
The Globalist
Until around 2015, China was widely seen as the global leader in air pollution, frequently appearing at the top of international poor air quality rankings.
As a result, during the first decade of the 2000s, a large number of the world’s most polluted cities were located in China.
However, in recent years, India has overtaken China as the country with the most polluted cities — signaling a major shift in the global air pollution landscape.
As of recent data, 13 out of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are located in India, highlighting a significant shift in global air pollution hotspots.
Chinese cities now tend to appear on the global pollution list only after about 120 other cities — most of which are Indian.
Delhi, which was ranked around the 10th most polluted city globally not long ago, has steadily moved up to become the second most polluted city in the world.
This reflects a stark contrast between China and India in terms of the effectiveness of their public administrations.
China is committed to tackling pollution and achieves impressive results, while India struggles significantly.
Approximately 1.7 million deaths in India are attributable to air pollution, accounting for almost 18% of total deaths.
By comparison, approximately 1.4 million deaths in China are attributed to air pollution — representing about 10% of the country’s total mortality.
Sources: IQAir, World Bank, World Health Organization, India Express, IEA, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, The Lancet, Max Planck Institute