Delhi-NCR has shown a steady improvement in air quality this year, with 2025 marking the cleanest January–August period in the last eight years, excluding
2020, when Covid lockdowns had restricted activities. According to official data, the city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) between January and August 2025 stood at 172, better than the 187 recorded in 2024 and significantly lower than earlier years. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data shows that this is the best performance for Delhi since 2018, when the AQI was 203 for the same period. By comparison, the figure was 199 in 2019, 192 in 2021, and 194 in 2022. The only exception remains 2020, when the average dropped to 147 because of restricted movement during the nationwide lockdown, as per a press release by PBI. In August 2025 alone, the city logged an average AQI of 89, showing improvement against 116 in 2023 and 107 in 2021. Last year, however, August AQI had dipped even further to 72. Officials said the reduction this year was aided by favourable weather and coordinated anti-pollution measures. Delhi also saw more days of “good” or “satisfactory” air this August—23 such days compared to just 8 in 2023 and 11 in 2021. Over the longer period of January–August, the capital recorded 65 satisfactory days in 2025, the highest in recent years apart from 2020. Notably, there has been no day in 2025 so far with an AQI above 400, which falls under the “severe” category. In earlier years, the city saw several such instances, including 7 in 2019 and 6 in 2021. The decline in particulate pollution has also been significant. Delhi’s PM2.5 levels averaged 74 µg/m3 this year, compared with 86 in 2024 and 95 in 2018. PM10 levels followed a similar trend, dropping to 169 µg/m3 in 2025 from 221 in 2018. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said it is working with multiple agencies to sustain this progress. Efforts to reduce emissions and prevent pollution are expected to be scaled up in the coming months.
