World Health Organisation finding that Delhi has the world's worst air pollution is misleading, says Indian government

India has clashed with the World Health Organisation after it named Delhi as the world's most polluted city.

A study of global air pollution in 1600 cities – the largest ever – found the Indian capital's air quality is almost three times worse than Beijing and that 13 Indian cities are among the 20 most polluted in the world.

There has been growing concern about pollution levels in Delhi in recent years despite international attention on smog in Beijing.

But according to the WHO's latest study on Outdoor Air Pollution in Cities, India is now the world's most polluted country and Delhi the city with the world's worst air pollution.

An Indian rickshaw puller passes under a bridge early in New Delhi
An Indian rickshaw puller passes under a bridge early in New Delhi © Getty

Tests carried out in 2013, found potentially harmful concentrations of PM2 pollution – the concentration of smaller dust particles that penetrate the lung – in Delhi's air.