Lahore in Pakistan was named the city with the most air pollution in the world in 2022, while Chad was named the country with the highest level of air pollution, according to an annual report published by IQAir, a Swiss air monitoring platform, cited by Reuters and Agerpress on Tuesday.

IQAir measures the level of air pollution according to the concentration of suspended particles PM2.5, which are harmful to human health.

IQAir’s annual report is widely cited by researchers and government organizations.

Lahore’s air quality worsened in 2022, with PM2.5 levels reaching 97.4 micrograms per cubic meter of air, compared to 86.5 in 2021, when the Pakistani city became the world’s dirtiest.

The second most polluted city in the world is China’s Hotan, with a PM2.5 level of 94.3, a slight improvement from 101.5 in 2021.

The next two cities are in India: Bhiwadi, on the outskirts of the capital, with a PM2.5 level of 92.7, and New Delhi with 92.6.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a maximum concentration of fine PM2.5 particles of 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

Countries with the dirtiest air in the world

While Chad recorded an annual average PM2.5 value of 89.7 micrograms per cubic meter of air, Iraq ranked second among the countries with the highest levels of air pollution at 80.1 micrograms per cubic meter.

Bangladesh’s air quality has improved since 2021, when it was named the country with the most air pollution, and ranks fifth in the latest IQAir report with a PM2.5 level of 65.8.

According to a new report, India and Pakistan have the most densely populated air in the Central and South Asian region, with almost 60% of the population living in areas where PM2.5 concentrations are at least seven times higher than the WHO recommended level.

According to IQAir, one in ten people worldwide lives in a region where air pollution poses a health risk.