Bangladesh worst in air quality rankings in 2023

• Dhaka ranked second worst among capital cities worldwide after New Delhi
•  In 2022, Bangladesh was ranked as having the fifth-worst air quality, and India was eighth
• Indian pollution also increased last year, with PM2.5 levels about 11 times higher than the WHO standard 
• New Delhi was the worst-performing capital city last year, at 92.7 micrograms
• Pakistan remained one of the world's three smoggiest countries in 2023

Bangladesh recorded an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 79.9 µg/m3, ranking number one among countries and territories in 2023, according to an air quality report released Tuesday by IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organisation.

Dhaka, the capital and most populous city, recorded an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 80.2 µg/m3, ranking second worst among capital cities worldwide after New Delhi. 

This represents pollution levels more than 16 times the concentration recommended by the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline. 

Pakistan remained one of the world's three smoggiest countries in 2023, as Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organisation, data published on Tuesday showed.

Average concentrations of PM2.5 - small airborne particles that damage the lungs - reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic metre in Bangladesh in 2023, and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan. The WHO recommends no more than 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," said Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organisation.

"On top of that are factors such as agricultural practices, industry, and population density," she added. "Unfortunately, it does look like it will get worse before it gets better."

In 2022, Bangladesh was ranked as having the fifth-worst air quality, and India was eighth.

"About 20% of premature deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to air pollution, and related healthcare costs amount to 4%-5% of the country's GDP," said Md Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at Dhaka's North South University.

Indian pollution also increased last year, with PM2.5 levels about 11 times higher than the WHO standard. India's New Delhi was the worst-performing capital city, at 92.7 micrograms.

China also saw PM2.5 rise 6.3% to 32.5 micrograms last year, after five consecutive annual declines.

Only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand met WHO standards in 2023.

The IQAir report was based on data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations in 134 countries and regions.

Chad, the world's most polluted country in 2022, was excluded from the 2023 listings because of data issues. Iran and Sudan were also taken off the 2023 list.

Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Air Quality Life Index at the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute, said 39% of countries have no public air quality monitoring