Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) 2025

Why is in news?

According to a study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) - Air pollution is reducing the average life expectancy.

Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report:

• Prepared by - University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (UCEPI)
• Purpose - To quantify the causal relationship between long-term human exposure to air pollution and life expectancy
• Data - The latest report analysed particulate matter data from 2023 to determine its impact on life expectancy.

• Global pollution level – It increased slightly in 2023 and remains the greatest external threat to human health.

• The global PM₂.₅ concentrations in 2023 were 1.5 percent higher than in 2022 and nearly 5 times of the WHO guideline.

According to the WHO, annual average concentrations of PM 2.5 should not exceed 5 µg/m3, whereas India’s national annual PM2.5 standard is 40 µg/m3.

• United States and Canada - They experienced the highest increase in pollution globally due to the wildfires.
• Latin America - Bolivia, the most polluted country in the region and it also made to the top-10 most polluted countries in the world for the first time since 2010.
• Africa -Some parts of Africa, particularly in its central and western regions, reported a slight drop in air pollution. However, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo continued to suffer the most.
• South Asia – This remains the most polluted region in the world and Particulate pollution remained the greatest external threat to human life expectancy in 2023.
• Bangladesh in particular has consistently been the most polluted country in the region for years.

India’s Status:

• Most populated regions category - India becomes the most polluted country followed by China, United States.
• All of India’s 1.4 billion people live in areas where annual particulate levels exceed the WHO guideline.
• Impact - Air pollution is reducing the average life expectancy in India by 3.5 years.
• It nearly twice the impact of childhood and maternal malnutrition and more than five times that of unsafe water, sanitation and handwashing.
• Northern India – It remains the most polluted region in the world with 38.9% of India’s population (544.4 million people).
• The residents of Delhi-NCR lose 8.2 years of life expectancy due to PM2.5 pollution compared with the WHO guideline and followed by Bihar (5.6 years), Haryana (5.3 years) and Uttar Pradesh (5 years).

Reference

1. The Hindu | Air Quality Life Index 2025 report

2. EPIC – University of Chicago