Pakistan is the most polluted country in the world, only 13 countries meet WHO standards.

New Delhi: Air quality is deteriorating day by day all over the world. South Asia has emerged as a hotbed of air quality degradation. According to the 8th World Air Quality Report released by Swiss air quality technology company ‘IQAir’, Pakistan has been declared the most polluted country in the world. Bangladesh is at second place in this list while India is the sixth most polluted country in the world.

The figures are quite worrying

The report analyzed data from monitoring stations located in 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions and territories. The figures of this report are quite worrying, because most of the 25 most polluted cities in the world are located in India, Pakistan and China. The shocking thing is that three of the four most polluted cities in the world are in India.

Which is the most polluted city in the world?

Talking about cities, Loni in Uttar Pradesh was found to be the most polluted city in the world while China is at second place. Burnihat of Meghalaya is at third place and capital Delhi is at fourth place in this list while Faisalabad of Pakistan is at fifth place.

Only 13 countries met the standards

Among the world’s most polluted countries, China is at 20th place, while America is at 120th place and Britain is at 110th place. According to the report, only 13 countries or territories – French Polynesia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Barbados, New Caledonia, Iceland, Bermuda, Reunion, Andorra, Australia, Grenada, Panama and Estonia – have met the World Health Organization (WHO) annual average PM 2.5 guideline.

“Of the 143 countries or territories, 130 (91 percent) have not met the World Health Organization’s annual average PM 2.5 guideline,” the report said. The five most polluted countries are Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The world’s 25 most polluted cities are in India, Pakistan and China, with three of the four most polluted cities in India.

Which is the cleanest city in the world?

The city of Newboutville in South Africa is the cleanest city in the world, with an annual average concentration of PM 2.5 of 1.0 micrograms per cubic meter. “In 2025, wildfire events disproportionately affected areas where PM2.5 levels have historically been relatively low,” the report said. “As a result, only 14 percent of global cities could meet WHO’s annual PM2.5 guideline in 2025, compared to 17 percent in 2024.”