Majority of the Global Population Exposed to Polluted Air: Climate Crisis Report

IQAir study finds that Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have the dirtiest air.

Most of the world’s population is breathing polluted air, with only seven countries meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards last year, according to a new report.

Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir unveiled its findings on Tuesday, which draw on data from 40,000 air quality monitoring stations in 138 countries. The report identified Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as having the most polluted air in the world.

Among the countries analyzed, only Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia, and Iceland met WHO’s international air quality standards, according to the database.

Data Gap

The extent of the problem may be far greater than reported, as many parts of the world lack the monitoring needed for more accurate data. For example, across Africa, there is only one monitoring station for every 3.7 million people.

The data gap could widen further following an announcement by the U.S. Department of State last week that it will no longer make public the air quality data gathered from its embassies and consulates around the world.

Many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors mounted on U.S. embassy and consulate buildings to track their smog levels. However, the U.S. State Department is discontinuing the monitoring program, citing budget constraints.

“Most countries have a few other data sources, but it’s going to impact Africa significantly, because oftentimes these are the only sources of publicly available real-time air quality monitoring data,” said Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir’s air quality science manager.

Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air Program at the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), stated that at least 34 countries will lose access to reliable pollution data after the U.S. program ends.

The State Department program improved air quality in the cities where the monitors were installed, boosting life expectancy and even reducing hazard allowances for U.S. diplomats, meaning it essentially paid for itself, Hasenkopf explained.

As a result of the State Department’s decision, more than 17 years of data were removed last week from the U.S. government’s official air quality monitoring site, airnow.gov, including readings collected in Chad.

According to the report, Chad and Bangladesh had average smog levels more than 15 times higher than WHO guidelines last year.

Chad was ranked the most polluted country in 2022 due to Sahara dust and uncontrolled crop burning.

Climate change is increasingly driving pollution levels higher, Chester-Schroeder warned, with rising temperatures causing more intense and prolonged forest fires that have swept through parts of Southeast Asia and South America.