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At least 200 million in India live in extreme poverty and are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, a recent study by World Bank expert estimates, also projecting the country to account for close to 47% of the 2.8 billion people exposed to hazardous quality air. The report offers the first estimates of how many people are exposed to bad air based on the World Health Organization’s new thresholds released in 2021. The thresholds identify concentration of ultra-fine PM2.5 particles above 5microgram per cubic metre of air (ug/m3) as unsafe and 35ug/m3 as hazardous exposure to hazardous air is linked with an over 24% increase in mortality rate. In absolute terms, 1.33 billion (96%) of India’s estimated 1.39 billion people breathe hazardous air, the report said. Of these, “over 202 million” people were those that lived on a daily wage of less than $1.9 (₹145) or in extreme poverty.