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Pakistan is the country with the worst air quality in the world. Photo/Reuters
JAKARTA – Pakistan remains one of the three countries with the highest levels of smog in the world in 2023. That's when Bangladesh and India replace Chad and Iran, with particulate matter content around 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The average concentration of PM2.5 – small particles in the air that damage the lungs – reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter in Bangladesh in 2023, and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan. In fact, WHO recommends no more than 5 micrograms.
“Because of the climate and geography (in South Asia), there is a series of PM2.5 concentrations that are skyrocketing because the pollution is endless,” said Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss air monitoring organization, as reported by Reuters.
“The most important are factors such as agricultural practices, industry and population density,” he added. “Unfortunately, it looks like things will get worse before they get better.”
Photo/Reuters
In 2022, Bangladesh was ranked fifth with the worst air quality, and India was ranked eighth.
About 20% of premature deaths in Bangladesh are caused by air pollution, and health care costs account for 4%-5% of the country's GDP, said Md Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at North South University in Dhaka.
Pollution in India also increased last year, with PM2.5 levels about 11 times higher than WHO standards. New Delhi in India was the capital city with the worst performance, at 92.7 micrograms.
China also saw PM2.5 rise by 6.3% to 32.5 micrograms last year, after five consecutive annual declines.