Related Articles
What Country Has The Worst Air Quality – In many parts of the world, blue skies are a rarity. Instead, accumulated levels of air pollution from industrial processes and automobile traffic blanket cities in smog year-round.
To answer this question, data scientist Matt Dzugan created a map that shades each country based on the levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution experienced by the population living there.
What Country Has The Worst Air Quality
Not your everyday map, this unconventional cartogram resizes country borders based on their total population. In this style, a single square represents 500,000 people. According to Matt Dzugan, the cartogram view is intended to provide a bird’s-eye perspective of the impact of air pollution and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on human lives.
Expensive U.s. Cities With The Worst Air Quality
A clear correlation emerges: some of the most populated places in the world are also the most polluted. Highly populated China and India appear most prominently, while other countries like Australia and Canada seem to disappear from the map altogether.
To put that into perspective, 800 dark brown squares on this cartogram (a PM2.5 concentration of 50 μg/m³) represents 400 million people in India who are exposed to polluted air at levels
So how do countries at either end of the PM2.5 spectrum get rid of it? Pulling additional data from the WHO, here’s how the 20 cleanest countries rank.
New Zealand tops the list above. And as you can see, air quality tends to be highest in advanced coastal economies with low population densities – and being an island or bordering less habitable arctic tundra also helps.
Beijing Issues Alert As It Endures Worst Air Pollution Of The Year
That said, there are temporary episodes where air quality can drop even in the best of countries. For example, recent wildfires on the West Coast of the United States and Australia resulted in reddish-orange skies and dangerous levels of air quality for weeks.
On the other hand, it may come as a surprise that Nepal lands at the very bottom of the air quality list. Why does this landlocked country, home to less than 30 million people, suffer from dangerous air pollution reaching 100 μg/m³?
In short, emissions from traffic and manufacturing operations powered by fossil fuels are trapped in the Kathmandu Valley, causing air quality issues for people in the area.
Regions with lower air quality tend to be more landlocked with developing economies, such as some countries in Central Africa and Asia, as well as the Middle East.
Most Polluted Countries 2021
Finally, although China is lower on this overall list, it should be noted that it is one of the most important on the cartogram due to the size of its population. Bangladesh had an average PM2.5 concentration of 76.9 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) in 2021, making it the most polluted country in the world. This was almost 20 µg/m3 higher than the average PM2.5 concentrations in India. The high levels of pollution in Bangladesh can be explained by the country’s brick industry, which has thousands of coal kilns pumping out harmful pollutants following a boom in the construction industry.
What are PM2.5 pollutants PM2.5 refers to fine particles that have a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less. These tiny, light and inhalable pollutants can remain in the air for long periods of time and pose a major risk to human health when concentrations are high. The World Health Organization recommends that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 10 µg/m3. Major sources of PM2.5 include solid waste combustion, road vehicles and power plants.
Pollution in cities In 2021, Delhi was again the most polluted capital in the world with an average PM2.5 concentration of 85 µg/m3. This was followed by the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka.
In 2020, many cities around the world saw reductions in PM2.5 concentrations due to COVID-19 related lockdowns and restrictions, with levels in Delhi dropping by around 15% from the previous year.
Over 137 Million Americans Live In Areas With Poor Air Quality, Report Finds
Average PM2.5 concentration of the most polluted countries in the world in 2020 and 2021 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air)
+ Waste management Largest landfills in the world 2019+ Fossil fuels Average annual number of oil spills in the world by decade 1970-2021+ Emissions Average levels of PM2.5 in the most polluted capitals of the world 2019-2021+ Management of waste Global regional disposal of waste by method 2016
Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites. Then you can access your favorite stats via the star in the header.
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use the individual functions (e.g. mark statistics as favourites, set statistics alerts), please log in with your personal account.
Why Is India’s Pollution Much Worse Than China’s?
As a Premium user, you have access to detailed source references and general information about this statistic.
As a Premium user, you have access to general information and details on the publication of this statistic.
TopicsEnvironmental pollution in the world Environmental pollution in the United States Global climate change Opinion on climate change in the United States Emissions in the world
IQ Air. (March 23, 2022). Average PM2.5 concentration of the most polluted countries in the world in 2020 and 2021 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air) [Graph]. In . Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https:///statistics/1135356/most-polluted-countries-in-the-world/?page=all
As Of 07:00 12/09/20, Vancouver Has The Worst Air Quality Index In The World.
IQ Air. “Average PM2.5 concentration of the most polluted countries in the world in 2020 and 2021 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air).” Chart. March 23, 2022. . Accessed February 10, 2023. https:///statistics/1135356/most-polluted-countries-in-the-world/?page=all
IQ Air. (2022). Average PM2.5 concentration of the most polluted countries in the world in 2020 and 2021 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air). . Inc.. Accessed: February 10, 2023. https:///statistics/1135356/most-polluted-countries-in-the-world/?page=all
IQAir. “Average PM2.5 concentration of the most polluted countries in the world in 2020 and 2021 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air).” , Inc., March 23, 2022, https:///statistics/1135356/most-polluted-countries-in-the-world/?page=all
IQAir, Average PM2.5 concentration of the most polluted countries in the world in 2020 and 2021 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air), https:///statistics/1135356/most-polluted-countries-in-the-world /?page=all (last visited Feb 10, 2023)
Pant By Numbers: The Cities With The Most Dangerous Air
Average PM2.5 concentration of the most polluted countries in the world in 2020 and 2021 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air) [Graph], IQAir, March 23, 2022. [Online]. Available: https:///statistics/1135356/most-polluted-countries-in-the-world/?page=all India once again tops an annual list of cities with the worst quality of air in the world, according to a new report, while Chinese cities continued to show improvements over the previous year. According to data compiled in IQAir AirVisual’s Global Air Quality Report 2019, 21 of the world’s 30 cities with the worst air pollution are in India, with six in the top ten. Ghaziabad, a satellite city of the capital New Delhi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, is ranked as the most polluted city in the world, with an average air quality index (AQI) of 110 .2 in 2019. That’s more than double the level at which the US Environmental Protection Agency considers healthy. And in November, a public health emergency was declared after the AQI level rose above 800 in parts of New Delhi, which was more than three times the “dangerous” level. Researchers from IQAir – a global air quality information and technology company – collected data for the report from ground-based monitoring stations that measure levels of fine particulate matter, known as of PM 2.5, per cubic meter. The microscopic particles, which measure less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, are considered particularly harmful because they are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system. PM 2.5 includes pollutants such as sulphates, nitrates and carbon black. Exposure to these particles has been linked to lung and heart problems and can impair cognitive and immune functions. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution causes around 7 million premature deaths a year worldwide, mainly due to increased mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancers and respiratory infections. It is estimated that more than 80% of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO recommended limits, low- and middle-income countries being most at risk. “Air pollution is the most pressing environmental health risk facing our global population,” AirVisual’s report said. South Asia remains particularly worrying, with 27 of the 30 most polluted cities in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Raiwind in Pakistan are among the ten most polluted cities, and major population centers of New Delhi, Lahore and Dhaka rank 5th, 12th and 21st respectively, according to AirVisual data. Regionally, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East are the most affected overall, with only six of the 355 cities included meeting WHO’s annual targets, according to the report. . However, South Asia saw improvements over the previous year. National air pollution in India decreased by 20% between 2018 and 2019, with 98% of cities experiencing varying levels of improvement. The report says the economic downturn, favorable weather conditions and efforts to clean the air are the reasons for the decrease. For example, the most polluted city, Ghaziabad, had an average AQI of 110.2 this year. But in 2018 it was 135.2 and 144.6. in 2017. The report also highlights India’s launch of the country’s first National Clean Air Program (NCAP), which aims to reduce PM 2.5 air pollution and air pollution by 20-30%. largest PM 10 particle in 102 cities by 2024 compared to 2017 levels. Climate crisis and urbanization Air quality data show “clear indications that climate change can directly increase the risk of exposure to air pollution”
Which country has the best gold quality, which state has the worst air quality, country with the worst air quality, what city has the worst air quality, what has the worst air quality, which country has the worst air pollution, what camera has the best quality, what city has worst air quality, who has the worst air quality in the united states, what area has the worst air quality, worst air quality in the world, what place has the worst air quality
