Data reveals most polluted countries in 2023

In 2023, Pakistan remained one of the world’s top three smoggiest countries, with Bangladesh and India replacing Chad and Iran, an article by Reuters revealed.

It added that the particulate matter levels in these countries were about 15 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended limit.

The data revealed that factors such as climate conditions, geography, agricultural practices, industry, and population density contribute to the high pollution levels in South Asia, where Bangladesh and India ranked fifth and eighth, respectively, in air quality in 2022.

Air pollution in Bangladesh contributes to about 20% of premature deaths and significant healthcare costs. India’s pollution levels exceeded the WHO standard by 11 times, with New Delhi being the worst-performing capital city.

The data indicates that only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand met WHO standards in 2023.

The IQAir report was based on data from over 30,000 monitoring stations in 134 countries. It confirmed that approximately 39% of countries lack public air quality monitoring, highlighting the need for a global effort to address air pollution data gaps.