Delhi Air Quality Improvement Report 2026
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change reported significant improvements in Delhi's air quality metrics for 2026. Delhi recorded its lowest average Air Quality Index (AQI) for October in the last eight years at 166, showing substantial improvement from 223 in 2025, 234 in 2024, and significantly lower than the 269 recorded in 2018.
For the period January to October 2026, Delhi maintained an average AQI of 167, compared to 170 in 2025, 184 in 2024, and showing consistent improvement from 201 in 2018. The particulate matter concentrations showed notable declines, with average PM2.5 levels at 69 µg/m³ for January-October 2026, down from 72 µg/m³ in 2025 and representing a significant reduction from 93 µg/m³ in 2018. PM10 concentrations averaged 171 µg/m³ for the same period, slightly higher than 166 µg/m³ in 2025 but substantially improved from 216 µg/m³ in 2018.
The number of 'Good to Moderate' AQI days (daily average AQI less than 200) reached 220 during January-October 2026, the highest count since 2018 except for the anomalous 224 days in 2020. Conversely, 'Poor to Severe+' category days (AQI more than 200) decreased to 84 days, compared to 104 days in both 2025 and 2024, and significantly lower than 147 days in 2018.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) is working closely with various stakeholders to implement effective measures for prevention, control, and abatement of air pollution, with plans to intensify these efforts to further improve air quality in Delhi-NCR in the coming days.