Pakistan Tops IQAir's 2025 Global Air Pollution Ranking

Pakistan emerged as the world's most polluted country in 2025, with average concentrations of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 reaching up to 13 times the World Health Organization's recommended limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter, according to a report released Tuesday by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir. The annual World Air Quality Report, which analyzed data from 9,446 cities across 143 countries and territories, revealed that 130 of those locations failed to meet WHO guidelines, highlighting a persistent global air pollution crisis exacerbated by climate-driven events and human activities.

Bangladesh ranked second with PM2.5 levels of 66.1 micrograms per cubic meter, followed by Tajikistan at 57.3 micrograms and Chad at 53.6 micrograms. Chad's drop from the top spot in 2024 appeared significant but stemmed largely from data gaps rather than genuine improvement. "The loss of the data in March made it appear there was a significant drop in PM2.5 levels in Chad, but the fact of the matter is that we don't know," said Christi Chester Schroeder, lead author of the report and senior air quality science manager at IQAir.

At the urban level, India's Loni recorded the...