Pakistan ranked most polluted country in 2025, data shows A global air quality report released by Swiss firm IQAir revealed Pakistan as the most polluted country in 2025, with PM2.5 levels exceeding the World Health Organization’s safety thresholds. The report highlighted significant disparities in air quality across regions, noting that 130 out of 143 monitored countries and territories failed to meet the WHO guideline of less than 5 micrograms per cubic metre of PM2.5. Bangladesh and Tajikistan followed Pakistan on the list of the most polluted nations, while Chad, which was previously the smoggiest country in 2024, ranked fourth in 2025. However, the decline in PM2.5 levels in Chad was attributed to data gaps rather than actual improvements. The report also pointed to the impact of data collection challenges, particularly after the United States discontinued a global monitoring program in March 2025. This program, which aggregated pollution data from U.S. embassies and consulates, was shut down due to budget constraints. The loss of this data source led to apparent drops in PM2.5 levels in some regions, but experts warned that the absence of reliable data made it impossible to confirm these trends. Christi Chester Schroeder, lead author of the IQAir report, emphasized that the U.S. decision created significant gaps in pollution tracking, excluding countries like Burundi, Turkmenistan, and Togo from the 2025 analysis. The most polluted cities in 2025 were concentrated in India, Pakistan, and China, with India’s Loni recording the highest PM2.5 levels at 112.5 micrograms per cubic metre, followed by Hotan in Xinjiang at 109.6 micrograms. The top 25 most polluted cities globally were all located in these three countries.#united_states #world_health_organization #iqair #burundi #turkmenistan
