IQAir study finds that Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo have the dirtiest air.
Most of the world’s population is breathing polluted air, with only seven countries meeting World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards last year, according to a new report.
Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir unveiled its findings on Tuesday, which draw on data from 40,000 air quality monitoring stations in 138 countries, finding that Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have the most polluted air in the world.
Of the countries analysed, only Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia and Iceland met WHO’s international air-quality standards, according to the database.
Data gap
The scale of the problem might be far greater than reported, given that many parts of the world lack the monitoring needed for more accurate data. Across Africa, for example, there is only one monitoring station for every 3.7 million people.
The data gap could grow wider following an announcement by the US Department of State last week that it will no longer make public the data it gathers from its embassies and consulates around the world.
Many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors mounted on US embassy and consulate buildings to track their smog levels, but the US State Department is now ending the monitoring scheme, citing budget constraints.
“Most countries have a few other data sources, but it’s going to impact Africa significantly, because oftentimes these are the only sources of publicly available real-time air quality monitoring data,” said Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir’s air quality science manager.
Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air Program at the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), said at least 34 countries will lose access to reliable pollution data after the US programme closes.
The State Department scheme improved air quality in the cities where the monitors were placed, boosting life expectancy and even reducing hazard allowances for US diplomats, meaning that it paid for itself, Hasenkopf said.
As a result of the State Department’s move, more than 17 years of data were removed last week from the US government’s official air quality monitoring site, airnow.gov, including readings collected in Chad.
According to the report, Chad and Bangladesh had average smog levels more than 15 times higher than WHO guidelines last year.
Chad was ranked the most polluted country in 2022 due to Sahara dust as well as uncontrolled crop burning.
Climate change is playing an increasing role in driving up pollution, Chester-Schroeder warned, with higher temperatures causing fiercer and lengthier forest fires that have swept through parts of Southeast Asia and South America.