According to data compiled by Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir, only seven countries met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality standards in 2024.
Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia, and Iceland were among the countries with the safest air.
Chad and Bangladesh, on the other hand, were the most polluted countries in the world, with average smog levels more than 15 times higher than WHO guidelines.
Chad’s average concentration of fine, dangerous particles in the air, known as PM2.5, reached 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter last year. The WHO recommends not exceeding 5 mg/cubic meter.
Significant data gaps around the world, particularly in Asia and Africa, prevent a complete picture of global air quality. Many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors installed on U.S. embassies and consulates.
However, the U.S. State Department recently stopped monitoring air quality near diplomatic missions worldwide, citing budget constraints, and removed more than 17 years of data from the U.S. government’s official air quality monitoring website.
For this year’s report, IQAir researchers analyzed data from more than 40,000 air quality monitoring stations at 8,954 locations in 138 countries, territories, and regions.
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution causes more than 4 million premature deaths worldwide each year.