Pakistan was ranked as one of the world’s three smoggiest countries in 2023, while Bangladesh and India displaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter levels 15 times those recommended by the World Health Organisation according to a research report.
In 2023, average PM2.5 readings — tiny airborne particles that cause lung disease — reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter in Bangladesh and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan. The WHO recommends a maximum of 5 micrograms.
“Because of the climate conditions and the geography (in South Asia), you get this streak of PM2.5 concentrations that just skyrocket because the pollution has nowhere to go. On top of that are factors such as agricultural practices, industry, and population density,” she added.
“Unfortunately, it really does look like it will get worse before it gets better,” said Christi.
Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss air monitoring organization. Bangladesh had the fifth-worst air quality in 2022, followed by India in eighth place.
According to Md Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at Dhaka’s North South University, air pollution causes approximately 20% of premature deaths in Bangladesh, with linked healthcare expenditures accounting for 4-5% of the country’s GDP.
Indian pollution also rose last year, with PM2.5 levels around 11 times higher than the WHO threshold. New Delhi, India’s capital city, had the poorest performance, at 92.7 micrograms.
China also had a 6.3 percent increase in PM2.5 to 32.5 micrograms last year, following five consecutive years of reduction. Only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand met WHO guidelines in 2023.
The IQAir report is based on data from over 30,000 monitoring stations across 134 nations and regions. Chad, the world’s most polluted country in 2022, was removed from the 2023 list due to data errors. Iran and Sudan were also removed from the 2023 list.
