Top 10 cities with poorest air quality: Sarajevo, Delhi, Lahore among the top

Sarajevo is ranked as the city with the poorest air quality, with an AQI value of 463, in the Hazardous category. Sarajevo has a high concentration of PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide.

Delhi's air quality falls in the very unhealthy category, with an AQI value of 282, as of December 17, 2025. The administration has imposed GRAP IV and closed down all kinds of unessential construction activity, and banned the entry of BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel vehicles.

Lahore is also in the very unhealthy category, with an AQI value of 224 as of December 17, 2025. Its air has a PM 2.5 concentration of 229 micrograms per cubic metre and a PM 10 concentration of 372.5 micrograms per cubic metre. Agricultural burning, vehicular exhaust, industrial pollutants, and temperature inversion are the major reasons behind the air pollution.

Wuhan's AQI value is 213 and falls in the very unhealthy category, with a PM 2.5 value of 112 micrograms per cubic meter and a PM 10 value of 136 micrograms per cubic meter.

Santiago's AQI is 213, ie in the very unhealthy category, with a very unhealthy concentration of PM 2.5 and PM10 pollutants. This can result in heightened risk for children and the elderly, with an increased chance of respiratory and heart conditions.

Dhaka's AQI value is 202, which also falls in the very unhealthy category. The value is consistent with its unhealthy AQI; it has been grappling with air pollution issues for a long time. The AQI gets better in the monsoon, and it gets poor again in the winter.

Dubai has an AQI value of 199, which falls in the unhealthy category. It usually ranges between unhealthy and very unhealthy in the winter. Seasonal trapping of pollutants coupled with dust storms and industrial pollutants results in a difficult situation for the residents.

Kuwait has an AQI value of 197 on December 17, which falls in the unhealthy category. The air quality value is consistent with the recent trend. It also suffers from occasional dust storms, which contribute to the deteriorating air quality in winter.

Hanoi has an AQI value of 188, on December 17 morning, its main pollutants are PM2.5 and PM10. PM2.5 concentration is currently 9.4 times the World Health Organisation annual PM2.5 guideline value.

AQI in Chengdu is 185, falling in the unhealthy region. Sensitive groups, children and the elderly are at major risk. The city is surrounded by mountains, which hinder the flow of polluted air outside of the city.