Dhaka is the noisiest city on the planet; here are the top ten loudest cities, recommended levels & more

It has been proven that noise at night disrupts sleep and has a negative impact on one's well-being the next day. According to estimates, 22 million and 6.5 million people in Europe suffer from chronic noise irritation and sleep disruption, respectively. 

A report on noise pollution by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), titled 'Frontiers 2022: Noise, Blazes, and Mismatches', compared the average noise frequency of the world's 61 major cities.

The Bangladeshi city of Dhaka has the greatest level of noise pollution among the world's 61 most populous and influential cities. The noise level in this city is frequently more than twice the acceptable threshold, inflicting long-term harm to local residents' physical and emotional health.

According to the survey, Dhaka has the highest average noise frequency at 119 decibels.

The maximum acceptable noise level for residential areas is 55 decibels, according to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations from 1999. It is 70 decibels in a commercial area. The noise frequency level was recommended to be kept within 53 dB in the 2018 amended guidelines.

Moradabad, India, came in second with 114 dB, followed by Islamabad, Pakistan, with 105 dB.

With a noise level of 103 dB, Rajashahi, another Bangladeshi city, and Ho Chi Minh City tie for fourth place.

Ibadan (Nigeria), Kupondole (Nepal), Algiers (Algeria), Bangkok (Thailand), and New York (USA) round out the top ten.

In that report, it was said that Melbourne has the lowest noise pollution among the world's main 61 cities. 

The average sound frequency there is only 20 decibels. Barcelona, Spain, is in second place, with a decibel frequency of 22.

Irbid (Jordan), Madrid (Spain), and Lyon (France) are also among the quietest cities, with noise levels of 60 dB, 69 dB, and 60 dB, respectively.

Noise-induced sleep disturbance is especially dangerous for the elderly, pregnant women, and shift workers.

Since sleep is required for hormone control and cardiovascular function, noise-induced awakenings can generate a variety of physiological and psychological stress responses.

There is mounting evidence that exposure to traffic noise is linked to the development of cardiovascular and metabolic illnesses like high blood pressure, arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes.

According to a conservative estimate, long-term exposure to environmental noise causes 48,000 new cases of ischemic heart disease and 12,000 premature deaths in Europe per year.