The amount of PM2.5 particles in the air in Lahore increased from 86.5 to 97.4 micrograms per cubic metre, making it the most polluted city on earth.
Lahore rose more than 10 spots to claim the title of city with the worst air quality in the world in 2022 according to a yearly international survey by a Swiss manufacturer of air purifiers.
In the report released on Tuesday by IQAir, it was also noted that Chad, a country in central Africa, had supplanted Bangladesh as the nation with the worst air pollution in 2017 in world. Based on the quantity of lung-damaging PM2.5 airborne particles, IQAir calculates the quality of the air.
Researchers and government organisations frequently reference its yearly survey. The amount of PM2.5 particles in the air in Lahore increased from 86.5 to 97.4 micrograms per cubic metre, making it the most polluted city on earth.
Lahore was followed by Hotan, the only Chinese city in the top 20, with PM2.5 levels of 94.3, a decrease from 101.5 in 2021. The next two cities in the list were both in India: Bhiwadi, which is near Delhi, had pollution levels of 92.7, and Delhi was right behind it with 92.6.
A maximum PM2.5 concentration of 5 micrograms per cubic metre is advised by the World Health Organization (WHO). Iraq had the second-most polluted air of any nation, with an average level of 80.1, compared to Chad’s average of 89.7.
Pakistan, which had two of the five cities in 2022 with the worst air quality in world, came in third place overall with a score of 70.9, followed by Bahrain with a score of 66.6. Bangladesh’s air quality has improved since 2021, when it was declared to have the worst air.
With PM2.5 levels dropping to 65.8 from 76.9, it is ranked fifth in the most recent report. With PM2.5 levels at 53.3, India, which has some of the most polluted cities in the world, was ranked eighth in the most recent report.
In the Central and South Asian region, where nearly 60% of the population resides in areas where the concentration of PM2.5 particles is at least seven times higher than the WHO’s recommended levels, the report stated that India and Pakistan had the worst air quality. According to the report, one in ten people worldwide resides in areas where air pollution poses a risk to their health.
Guam, a US territory in the Pacific, had the cleanest air of any nation with a PM2.5 concentration of 1.3, while Canberra had the cleanest air of any capital city with a PM2.5 concentration of 2.8. Data from more than 30,000 air quality monitors in more than 7,300 locations across 131 countries, territories, and regions was used to create the index.