The government told parliament on Thursday that global air quality rankings cited by various organisations are not conducted by any official authority. The environment ministry stated that the World Health Organisation's guidelines are only advisory values, not binding standards. India has notified its national ambient air quality standards for 12 pollutants.
In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha on December 11, 2025, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh clarified that no official country-wise pollution ranking is carried out worldwide regarding India's position in global indices such as IQAir's World Air Quality Ranking, the WHO Global Air Quality Database, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), and the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) metrics.
He stated that the WHO's guidelines are intended to assist countries in setting their own standards, considering factors like geography, environmental conditions, background levels, and national circumstances. India has notified its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 12 pollutants to safeguard public health and environmental quality.
The minister also noted that while no global authority officially ranks countries, India conducts its annual Swachh Vayu Survekshan to assess and rank 130 cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) based on air quality improvement measures. Better-performing cities are felicitated every year on National Swachh Vayu Diwas, observed on September 7. This initiative encourages efforts to reduce urban air pollution.
