In the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report released on Tuesday, Pakistan was ranked as the second most-polluted country after Bangladesh in 2023.
IQAir’s air quality scientists analyzed data from more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations across 7,812 locations in 134 countries, territories, and regions for this year’s report.
The top five most polluted countries in 2023 were Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, and Burkina Faso.
According to the air quality watchdog’s report, Bangladesh recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 79.9 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m³), exceeding the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline by more than 15 times. Pakistan’s average PM2.5 concentration was recorded at 73.7 µg/m3, exceeding the WHO annual guideline by more than 14 times. The report also highlighted India’s average PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 µg/m3, which was more than 10 times higher than the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline.
Seven countries, including Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand, met the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline with an annual average of 5 µg/m3 or less.
The report revealed that out of 134 countries and regions, 124 (92.5%) exceeded the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline value of 5 µg/m3.
Africa remained the most underrepresented continent in terms of air quality data accessibility, with a third of the population still lacking access to such data.
In Southeast Asia, climate conditions and transboundary haze were major factors contributing to the rise in PM2.5 concentrations across nearly every country. Additionally, the region of Central & South Asia housed the top ten most polluted cities in the world.
Begusarai, India was identified as the most polluted metropolitan area of 2023, with India being home to the four most polluted cities globally.
Among major U.S. cities, Columbus, Ohio was the most polluted, while Beloit, Wisconsin held the title for the most polluted city overall.
Conversely, Las Vegas, Nevada was recognized as the cleanest major city in the U.S.
For the first time in the history of the report, Canada emerged as the most polluted country in Northern America, with its 13 most polluted cities situated within its borders.
Notably, 70% of the real-time air quality data in Latin America & the Caribbean region was sourced from low-cost sensors.
Despite the increasing number of countries and regions with air quality monitoring, significant gaps persist in government-operated regulatory instrumentation worldwide. Low-cost air quality monitors, facilitated by citizen scientists, researchers, community advocates, and local organizations, have proven invaluable in bridging these gaps and enhancing air monitoring networks globally.
Frank Hammes, Global CEO of IQAir, emphasized, “A clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a universal human right. In many parts of the world, the lack of air quality data delays decisive action and perpetuates unnecessary human suffering. Air quality data saves lives. Where air quality is reported, action is taken, and air quality improves.”
