Pakistan named world's most polluted country in 2025, IQAir report shows
Pakistan was ranked the world's most polluted country in 2025, with hazardous PM2.5 levels 13 times higher than WHO recommendations, followed by Bangladesh and Tajikistan, IQAir's annual report showed Tuesday. Only 14% of global cities met WHO air quality standards.
Pakistan was ranked the world's most polluted country in 2025, followed by Bangladesh and Tajikistan, latest air quality data showed on Tuesday. The South Asian nation topped the list with concentrations of hazardous small particles known as PM2.5 up to 13 times higher than the recommended World Health Organisation (WHO) level, Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir said in its annual report.
Top polluted countries
According to the report, the five most polluted countries were Pakistan (67.3 µg/m³), Bangladesh (66.1 µg/m³), Tajikistan (57.3 µg/m³), Chad (53.6 µg/m³) and Democratic Republic of the Congo (50.2 µg/m³). The figures highlight the severe air quality crisis affecting developing nations across South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Most polluted cities
Loni city of India's largest Uttar Pradesh state, was the most polluted city, recording an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5 µg/m³ – a nearly 23% increase from 2024 and more than 22 times the WHO guideline. The world's 25 most polluted cities were all located in India, Pakistan and China, with India home to three of the four worst.
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US rankings
El Paso, Texas, was the most polluted major city in the US, while Southeast Los Angeles, California, ranked as the most polluted region. Seattle, Washington, was the cleanest major American city.
Air quality leaders
Nieuwoudtville, South Africa, was the world's cleanest city, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of just 1.0 µg/m³. Thirteen countries and territories maintained PM2.5 levels below the WHO standard of 5 µg/m³ in 2025, up from seven in 2024. These include French Polynesia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Barbados, New Caledonia, Iceland, Bermuda, Reunion, Andorra, Australia, Grenada, Panama, and Estonia.
Global compliance
However, only 14% of global cities met the WHO air quality standard, down from 17% the previous year. Around 91% of countries and territories (130 out of 143) exceeded the safe level. For this year's report, IQAir analyzed data from monitoring stations across 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions, and territories.
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