IQAir 2026: Pakistan named most-polluted country, India’s Loni most-polluted city

New Delhi: Pakistan is the world’s most polluted country for air quality, according to the latest annual report from Swiss air-quality monitoring group IQAir. Bangladesh and Tajikistan rank second and third respectively.

IQAir compiled the list using the World Health Organization guideline of 5 micrograms per cubic metre for PM2.5 as the benchmark. The report says average PM2.5 levels in Pakistan are about 13 times that safe limit. In the list of most-polluted cities, Loni in India ranks first with an average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5 µg/m3, followed by Hotan in China’s Xinjiang region at 109.6 µg/m3. Another striking finding is that 25 of the world’s most polluted cities are located across India, Pakistan and China.

Of the 143 countries included in the survey, 130 recorded air quality far worse than the WHO guideline. Only 14 percent of the world’s monitored cities now meet the WHO’s safe air standard, down from 17 percent the previous year. Just 13 countries — including Australia, Iceland, Estonia and Panama — maintained PM2.5 levels below the WHO threshold.

The report highlights a general global decline in air quality. African country Chad, which featured among the worst in past years, fell to fourth place this year; IQAir researcher Kristie Chester Schröder said this was likely due to limited data availability rather than improved conditions.

The study also notes that large wildfires in Canada adversely affected air quality in parts of the United States and Europe. Conversely, stronger winds and heavier rains linked to the La Niña phenomenon helped reduce pollution in Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia. Mongolia saw the largest improvement, with PM2.5 levels dropping by 31 percent to 17.8 µg/m3.

Overall, IQAir found air quality improved in 75 countries but worsened in 54 others.