Air Pollution Linked to 15% of Deaths in Delhi in 2023: Global Health Report

A new analysis of Global Burden of Disease data shows air pollution caused nearly 17,200 deaths in Delhi in 2023—about 15% of all deaths—though the Centre maintains there’s no conclusive link between pollution and mortality.

31 Oct 2025 17:25 IST

New Update

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: Air pollution continues to pose a severe health threat to residents of the national capital, accounting for nearly 15 per cent of all deaths in 2023, according to a new analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data.

The analysis, conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) using the GBD 2023 dataset released earlier this month, estimates that exposure to ambient particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) led to around 17,188 deaths in Delhi last year.

This translates to roughly one in every seven deaths in the city being linked to air pollution, underscoring the persistent public health emergency caused by poor air quality. Experts say prolonged exposure to toxic air contributes to a range of diseases, including heart ailments, respiratory disorders, and strokes.

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