Visible or not, air pollution is turning out to be one of the biggest cause of mortality in India, with its toll rising sharply every year.

The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report, released on October 29, 2025, shows the toxic air claimed over 17 lakh lives in the year 2022 due to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), an increase of 38% compared to its estimation in 2010.

“There were over 1,718,000 deaths attributable to anthropogenic air pollution (PM 2.5) in 2022 in India, an increase of 38% since 2010,” read the India-specific report accessed by Down to Earth.

Authored by 128 experts from 71 institutions and UN agencies, the ninth edition of the report is the most comprehensive and reveals how pollution and heat-related risks are escalating across India.

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