Air pollution threatens the health of 234.8 million people across 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh. The average PM2.5 level is 56.2 µg/m³—11.2× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Uttar Pradesh faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 234.8 million across 75 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 56.2µg/m³. That's 11.2 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 932 cigarettes in a year.
If Uttar Pradesh met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 5.02 years longer.
That's 1.18B years of life stolen from 234.8 million people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.
Lives cut short. Breathing kills.
The top 10 most polluted districts in Uttar Pradesh. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³—only populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.
Complete air quality data for every district in Uttar Pradesh, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prayagraj | 5.6M | 52.6 | 4.7 years |
| Lucknow | 5.4M | 59.4 | 5.3 years |
| Kanpur Nagar | 5.4M | 61.8 | 5.6 years |
| Jaunpur | 5.3M | 57.6 | 5.2 years |
| Sitapur | 5.3M | 50.3 | 4.4 years |
| Bareilly | 5.2M | 51.3 | 4.5 years |
| Gorakhpur | 4.9M | 59.8 | 5.4 years |
| Hardoi | 4.8M | 56.0 | 5.0 years |
| Azamgarh | 4.7M | 57.7 | 5.2 years |
| Lakhimpur Kheri | 4.7M | 46.4 | 4.1 years |
| Barabanki | 4.5M | 52.9 | 4.7 years |
| Agra | 4.4M | 68.9 | 6.3 years |
| Aligarh | 4.4M | 67.5 | 6.1 years |
| Bijnor | 4.3M | 42.4 | 3.7 years |
| Varanasi | 4.2M | 52.0 | 4.6 years |
| Ghazipur | 4.2M | 58.1 | 5.2 years |
| Kushinagar | 4.2M | 60.0 | 5.4 years |
| Bulandshahr | 4.1M | 65.7 | 5.9 years |
| Ghaziabad | 4.0M | 83.2 | 7.7 years |
| Meerut | 4.0M | 64.8 | 5.9 years |
| Saharanpur | 4.0M | 51.5 | 4.6 years |
| Gonda | 4.0M | 50.2 | 4.4 years |
| Ballia | 3.8M | 62.5 | 5.6 years |
| Pratapgarh | 3.8M | 57.0 | 5.1 years |
| Firozabad | 3.7M | 66.1 | 6.0 years |
| Siddharth Nagar | 3.7M | 48.7 | 4.3 years |
| Unnao | 3.7M | 58.4 | 5.2 years |
| Deoria | 3.6M | 60.8 | 5.5 years |
| Budaun | 3.6M | 58.9 | 5.3 years |
| Shahjahanpur | 3.5M | 56.0 | 5.0 years |
| Moradabad | 3.5M | 47.2 | 4.1 years |
| Muzaffarnagar | 3.4M | 55.4 | 4.9 years |
| Maharajganj | 3.4M | 53.4 | 4.7 years |
| Mau | 3.3M | 59.0 | 5.3 years |
| Kaushambi | 3.2M | 56.6 | 5.1 years |
| Fatehpur | 3.1M | 56.3 | 5.0 years |
| Mathura | 3.0M | 67.7 | 6.1 years |
| Amethi | 3.0M | 55.8 | 5.0 years |
| Mirzapur | 3.0M | 42.2 | 3.6 years |
| Bahraich | 3.0M | 46.4 | 4.1 years |
| Rae Bareli | 2.9M | 58.0 | 5.2 years |
| Ambedkar Nagar | 2.8M | 56.3 | 5.0 years |
| Rampur | 2.8M | 46.4 | 4.1 years |
| Gautam Buddha Nagar | 2.7M | 83.9 | 7.7 years |
| Sultanpur | 2.6M | 55.4 | 4.9 years |
| Balrampur | 2.5M | 42.1 | 3.6 years |
| Basti | 2.5M | 53.2 | 4.7 years |
| Amroha | 2.4M | 50.1 | 4.4 years |
| Sambhal | 2.4M | 58.5 | 5.2 years |
| Shravasti | 2.4M | 44.5 | 3.9 years |
| Pilibhit | 2.4M | 42.6 | 3.7 years |
| Jhansi | 2.4M | 45.8 | 4.0 years |
| Chandauli | 2.4M | 47.2 | 4.1 years |
| Faizabad | 2.3M | 53.3 | 4.7 years |
| Farrukhabad | 2.2M | 61.1 | 5.5 years |
| Mainpuri | 2.2M | 63.1 | 5.7 years |
| Sonbhadra | 2.2M | 34.2 | 2.9 years |
| Banda | 2.1M | 47.0 | 4.1 years |
| Etah | 2.1M | 65.3 | 5.9 years |
| Kanpur Dehat | 2.1M | 56.5 | 5.0 years |
| Jalaun | 2.0M | 52.8 | 4.7 years |
| Kannauj | 1.9M | 57.7 | 5.2 years |
| Etawah | 1.8M | 60.6 | 5.5 years |
| Bhadohi | 1.8M | 52.3 | 4.6 years |
| Hathras | 1.8M | 67.0 | 6.1 years |
| Sant Kabir Nagar | 1.7M | 56.5 | 5.1 years |
| Auraiya | 1.7M | 58.1 | 5.2 years |
| Kasganj | 1.7M | 63.7 | 5.8 years |
| Hapur | 1.5M | 65.7 | 5.9 years |
| Baghpat | 1.5M | 70.4 | 6.4 years |
| Lalitpur | 1.4M | 33.8 | 2.8 years |
| Shamli | 1.4M | 56.1 | 5.0 years |
| Hamirpur | 1.3M | 49.2 | 4.3 years |
| Chitrakoot | 1.2M | 43.2 | 3.7 years |
| Mahoba | 1.0M | 42.6 | 3.7 years |
Showing 75 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.