India’s winter pollution worsened across major metros in late 2025, with government monitoring agencies reporting sustained deterioration in air quality.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi repeatedly slipped into the `Severe` and `Severe Plus` categories during November and December, triggering stricter measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Air Quality Index (AQI) levels crossed 400 on multiple occasions, far exceeding safe limits.
Mumbai, while typically less affected than the capital, also saw air quality decline. Monitoring stations across the city recorded `Poor` to `Very Poor` AQI levels during peak winter weeks, particularly in high-traffic and industrial areas, indicating that pollution stress is no longer limited to north India.
Against this backdrop, consumer search behaviour across urban India points to a clear shift towards both preventive and compliance-driven responses. From protecting indoor air quality to meeting vehicular emission standards, urban consumers are acting with increased urgency and awareness.
According to data from Indian search engine Justdial, searches linked to pollution-related categories recorded a sharp rise during October–November–December 2025 (OND’25). To assess this behavioural shift, the search engine compared search trends between 2025 and 2024, as well as with the preceding quarter July–August–September 2025.
Searches for air purifier dealers surged significantly across the country, underlining growing concern around indoor air safety amid deteriorating outdoor air quality.
Pan-India searches rose 103 per cent year-on-year, while demand intensified sharply in recent months, with the searches becoming six times the levels in 2025.
Delhi emerged as the strongest city, recording a 134 per cent increase compared to 2024, with November 2025 alone witnessing a sixfold jump over October 2025, reflecting the immediate impact of worsening air conditions. Other urban centres such as Gurgaon and Mumbai also saw notable spikes, pointing to a broader metropolitan response.
Alongside indoor air solutions, searches for Pollution Under Control (PUC) Testing also recorded consistent growth, signalling rising awareness around vehicular emission compliance. Pan-India PUC searches increased 55 per cent year-on-year in 2025, with a 4 per cent rise compared to 2025.
In Delhi, searches grew 38 per cent versus 2024, alongside an 11per cent quarter-on-quarter increase, indicating sustained intent rather than a short-term surge. Mumbai emerged as another key market showing notable growth in PUC-related searches.
Taken together, the data reveals a clear shift in urban consumer behaviour, where pollution is prompting both immediate protective actions within homes and a more responsible approach towards emissions on the road. While air purifier searches reflect an urgent need to secure indoor environments, rising PUC queries highlight growing accountability towards pollution control.
With search volumes rising across major metros, the searchers reveal that the findings indicate that pollution is no longer viewed as a temporary seasonal challenge, but as a catalyst shaping everyday decisions and search behaviour across India’s cities.
Air purifier searches jumped by 103 per cent pan-India as pollution worsened
