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Top 10 Indian cities with worst and best AQI in 2025: Delhi remains stagnant at ‘very poor’, ‘severe’ in Hapur

Top 10 India cities with the most polluted and cleanest air in 2025: Ariyalur, a town in Tamil Nadu, recorded the country's best AQI at 13 on Monday, followed by Thanjavur and Shillong (Meghalaya), both with an AQI of 17, according to the CPCB data.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Dec 1, 2025 12:34 PM IST

Delhi government official using air purifiers in cars

The post goes on to highlight how officials and the wealthy rarely face the brunt of Delhi’s pollution

Top 10 India cities with the most polluted and cleanest air as of November 2025: As low wind speeds and decreasing temperatures exacerbate the already critical air pollution situation, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in New Delhi continues to remain in the ‘very poor’ category, making it the world’s most polluted capital city, as noted by IQAir Live AQI⁺ City Rankings on Tuesday, November 25.

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In response, the authorities have implemented stricter measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the National Capital, advancing several pollution-control initiatives in an attempt to improve the declining air quality.

Delhi pollution: An anti-smog sprinkler sprays water in Delhi (Photo: PTI).

The AQI scale categorises air quality as good (0–50), satisfactory (51–100), moderately polluted (101–200), poor (201–300), very poor (301–400), and severe (401–500).

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported an alarming overall AQI of 382 (very poor) in Delhi on Monday, based on average readings over the past 24 hours.

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The adjoining National Capital Region (NCR) has also been affected, with Hapur reaching a ‘severe’ level at 416. Noida recorded an AQI of 397, while it was slightly lower in Ghaziabad at 396.

Meanwhile, Gurgaon and Faridabad fell in the ‘poor’ category, with AQI levels of 286 and 232, respectively

In contrast, Northeast and South India continue to experience significantly lower pollution levels.

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Ariyalur, a town in Tamil Nadu, recorded the country’s best AQI at 13, followed by Thanjavur and Shillong (Meghalaya), both at an impressive AQI of 17, according to the CPCB.

Top 10 Indian cities with the worst and best AQI: as of November 24, 2025

Please note that the data is compiled by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which reflects a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) as of 4:00 PM. The AQI recorded is as of Monday, November 24, 2025.

⚠️ NCR Region records hazardous air quality with 6 cities from Uttar Pradesh in top 10

Top 10 Worst Air Quality Rankings

Hapur

Uttar Pradesh

416

AQI

Severe PM2.5

Noida

Uttar Pradesh

397

AQI

Very Poor PM10, PM2.5

Ghaziabad

Uttar Pradesh

396

AQI

Very Poor PM10, PM2.5

Delhi

Delhi NCT

382

AQI

Very Poor PM2.5

Greater Noida

Uttar Pradesh

382

AQI

Very Poor PM2.5

Charkhi Dadri

Haryana

366

AQI

Very Poor PM2.5

Bulandshahr

Uttar Pradesh

356

AQI

Very Poor PM2.5

Meerut

Uttar Pradesh

350

AQI

Very Poor PM10, PM2.5

Manesar

Haryana

342

AQI

Very Poor PM2.5

Baghpat

Uttar Pradesh

330

AQI

Very Poor PM2.5

Data Source

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) 24-hour average AQI as of 4:00 PM, November 24, 2025. Categories range from 'Good' to 'Severe' indicating pollution levels and health impact.

Indian Express InfoGenIE

✓ Tamil Nadu dominates with 8 cities recording 'Good' air quality, Ariyalur leads at AQI 13

Top 10 Best Air Quality Rankings

Ariyalur

Tamil Nadu

AQI

Good SO₂

Ooty

Tamil Nadu

AQI

Good SO₂

Karur

Tamil Nadu

AQI

Good SO₂

Tiruchirappalli

Tamil Nadu

AQI

Good SO₂

Thanjavur

Tamil Nadu

AQI

Good SO₂

Shillong

Meghalaya

AQI

Good PM10

Perundurai

Tamil Nadu

AQI

Good PM10

Tirupur

Tamil Nadu

AQI

Good CO

Salem

Tamil Nadu

AQI

Good PM2.5

Mangalore

Karnataka

AQI

Good O₃

Davanagere

Karnataka

AQI

Good CO

Data Source

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) 24-hour average AQI as of 4:00 PM, November 24, 2025. Categories range from 'Good' to 'Severe' indicating pollution levels and health impact.

Indian Express InfoGenIE

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Cherry Gupta

Cherry Gupta is an Assistant Manager – Content at The Indian Express. She leads the Top 10 section, curating list-based features on key national and international developments, and manages daily news content. She also produces SEO-driven articles and collaborates with the Lifestyle team to conduct interviews with notable artists and write workplace culture features. ... Read More