Bangladesh, Pakistan, India at bottom in air quality ranking in 2023
According to the data released on March 19th, Pakistan remained one of the three countries with the highest smog levels in the world in 2023. Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran in the ranking, with particulate matter about 15 times higher than the level recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Reuters reports.
The average concentration of PM2.5, small particles in the air that damage the lungs, reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic metre in Bangladesh and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan in 2023. According to WHO recommendations, this should not exceed 5 micrograms.
“Because of the climate conditions and the geography (in South Asia), you get this streak of PM2.5 concentrations that just skyrocket because the pollution has nowhere to go. On top of that are factors such as agricultural practices, industry, and population density,” the Air Quality Science Manager at IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organisation, Christi Chester Schroeder, noted.
In 2022, Bangladesh ranked fifth-worst in terms of air quality, and India ranked eighth.
