A new study has identified the countries with the dirtiest air in the world. Chad tops the list, followed by Bangladesh and Pakistan. Only 7 countries worldwide have air quality that meets the standards set by the World Health Organization. Istanbul is seen to be in 19th place among the most polluted major cities.

Swiss air quality technology company IQAir’s latest report revealed that only 7 countries worldwide meet the standards.

THE 5 COUNTRIES WITH THE DIRTIEST AIR According to the company’s 2024 report, the countries with the dirtiest air in the world are Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and India, respectively.

In these 5 countries, air pollution exceeds the limit set by the World Health Organization by 10 times. In fact, in Chad, which tops the list, it is 18 times the limit.

DIRTIEST CAPITAL CITY REVEALED The dirtiest capital city in the world is New Delhi, India. It is followed by N’Djamena, the capital of Chad. In third place is Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranks fourth, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, is in fifth place.

CHINA AND INDIA SEE SOME IMPROVEMENTS Despite some improvement in air pollution in China and India compared to 2023, there is a slight decrease. India, with 6 of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world, saw a 7% reduction in air pollution from 2023 to 2024. In China, pollution decreased by 50% between 2013 and 2020.

EUROPE’S DIRTIEST AIR The country with the dirtiest air in Europe is Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by North Macedonia and Serbia. Only 7 countries in the world have air that fully meets standards. These countries are Estonia, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Grenada, and Barbados.

7 MILLION PEOPLE DIE FROM AIR POLLUTION Due to insufficient data, Burkina Faso, Iran, and Afghanistan were not included in the report. Air pollution is considered the second leading cause of death worldwide after high blood pressure. Every year, 7 million people worldwide die as a result of air pollution. Data shared on the website of Swiss air quality technology company IQAir shows that Istanbul ranks 19th among the most polluted major cities worldwide.