Pakistan emerges as world’s most polluted country in latest air quality report
Pakistan emerges as world’s most polluted country in latest air quality report Photograph: (Credit: IQair.com)
Pakistan ranks as the world's most polluted country in the 2026 IQAir report.
Pakistan has topped the list as the most polluted country in the world. In the latest numbers released by Swiss air-quality monitor IQAir, Bangladesh is second in line, followed by Tajikistan. Lahore is in a bad situation. The problem is worse there, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) often exceeds 400, which is very hazardous. The city's air is toxic due to fuel, industrial waste and stubble burning. Reports of respiratory illness in Pakistan's Punjab province have increased by 30% since January 2026. Doctors think this is a public health emergency that will not end soon. Uncontrolled pollutants are making the situation worse.
Cities highlighted as the most polluted include Uttar Pradesh's Loni, followed by Hotan in China and Byrnihat in Meghalaya. India's national capital, Delhi, is at the fourth spot, followed by Faisalabad in Pakistan.
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IQAir's website highlights, “While air pollution has long been recognised as a persistent hazard, 2025 marked a turning point as international institutions finally elevated the crisis to the forefront of the global agenda. This shift was underscored by the 2025 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report, which, for the first time, dedicated a specific section to air pollutants and ranked the issue as a top-tier global risk.”
“Alongside these economic warnings, the United Nations General Assembly formally categorised air pollution as a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases, including cardiac disease, stroke, and cancer.To operationalise these goals, the World Health Assembly has approved a landmark roadmap to halve deaths from air pollution by 2040,” it added.
