Air pollution is now the biggest threat to human health in India, reducing the life expectancy of an average Indian by 5.3 years, according to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report from the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC).

The study warns that the damage caused by dirty air is even worse than smoking, alcohol use, unsafe water, or road accidents.

The report notes that if fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) were permanently reduced to meet World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the average person worldwide would gain 2.3 extra years of life, a total of 17.8 billion life years saved globally.

“Three-quarters of air pollution’s impact on global life expectancy occurs in just six countries, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, and Indonesia, where people lose one to more than six years off their lives because of the air they breathe,” said Michael Greenstone, Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and creator of the AQLI.

South Asia is the deadliest region

South Asia remains the world’s most polluted region, home to four of the most polluted countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. People here are expected to lose around five years of life on average if current pollution levels continue.

In India’s Northern Plains, where pollution is worst, over 521 million people are likely to lose eight years of life expectancy compared with WHO standards.

The Indian government launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019, aiming to cut pollution by 20–30% by 2024. In 2022, this target was revised to a 40% reduction by 2026 in 131 highly polluted cities.

The AQLI report says meeting this goal could increase India’s average life expectancy by 7.9 months, and in Delhi, the most polluted city in the country, residents could gain 4.4 years.

  • Every Indian lives in areas where pollution levels are above WHO standards.

  • 67.4% of people live in places exceeding even India’s own air quality standard.

  • From 1998 to 2021, pollution rose 67.7%, cutting 2.3 years off life expectancy.

  • Between 2013 and 2021, 59.1% of the world’s pollution rise came from India.

  • If air met WHO guidelines, Delhi residents would gain 11.9 years of life, and people in North 24 Parganas could gain 5.6 years.

The study shows that air pollution takes away more years of life than heart disease or poor nutrition. On average, cardiovascular diseases cut 4.5 years of life, while malnutrition reduces life expectancy by 1.8 years.

This makes air pollution the number one health risk in India, the report stresses, urging stronger and sustained action.

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