{ AIR QUALITY LIFE INDEX } High particulate matter has reduced the life expectancy in Delhi by 8.2 years, finds report

Hazardous levels of finer particulate matter (PM2.5) is bringing down, on average, life expectancy of Delhi residents by 8.2 years, according to a report released on Thursday. It said that the loss could be mitigated by adhering to the World Health Organisation's (WHO's) standard of 5 micrograms per cubic metre (uig/m3), whereas adhering to the national limit of 40ug/ m3 still reduces life expectancy by 4.7 years.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

Across India, high PM2.5 levels are bringing down life expectancy by 3.5 years, it said. The report, which shares the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) of people across the world, is released every year by Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.

The 2025 report is based on an analysis of pollution data from 2023. While Delhi's annual PM2.5 concentration in 2023 was 88.4ug/m3, it was 4lug/m3 for the entire country.