Which country has the cleanest air in the world?

The countries with the cleanest air in the world have been ranked in a new report. We take a look at the results

The Caribbean island nation of the Bahamas has the world’s cleanest air, according to the latest World Air Quality Report from IQAir. The report ranks 138 countries and territories by the level of fine particulate matter present in the air.

Air pollution continues to pose one of the biggest threats to human health, causing the death of up to 8.1 million people every year. Billions more suffer the effects of poor air quality, which can lead to asthma and lung disease.

In 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 99% of the world’s population was living in places where the WHO air quality guidelines levels were not met.

The latest report from IQAir draws on data from 40,000 air quality monitoring stations spread around 8,954 cities in 138 countries,
regions, and territories.

The Bahamas, made up of over 3,000 islands, cays and islets in the Caribbean Sea, have the cleanest air in the world, followed by the island nations of Bermuda, French Polynesia, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Of 138 countries and territories surveyed in the report, just 12 countries or territories – the Bahamas, Bermuda, French Polynesia, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Montserrat, Barbados, Grenada, Iceland, New Zealand, Australia and Estonia – are meeting a World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limit for tiny airborne particles expelled by cars, trucks and industrial processes.

At the other end of the spectrum, Chad has the worst air quality, followed by Bangladesh, Pakistan, DR Congo and India.

Air Quality Index

The report analyses results from over 30,000 monitoring stations across the globe, making it the world’s largest centralised platform for measuring air quality.

It also draws on data collected from thousands of clean air initiatives administered by governments, non-profit organisations, citizens, communities and private companies.

The report focuses on PM2.5 concentrations (μg/m³) as this pollutant is widely regarded as most harmful to human health. PM2.5 is defined as ambient airborne particles measuring up to 2.5 microns in size. A micron (or micrometre) is one-millionth of a metre or one-thousandth of a millimetre.

Its microscopic size allows the particles to enter the bloodstream via the respiratory system and travel through the body, causing a range of health problems, including asthma, lung cancer and heart disease.

Air pollution is also associated with low birth weight, increased acute respiratory infections and stroke.

The WHO’s Air Quality Guideline value for PM2.5 exposure, which has been proven to be free of health impacts, is 10µg/m³ or 10 micrograms of air pollutant per cubic meter of air.

There are only 12 countries or territories, out of the 138 assessed, which pass these guidelines.

most polluted cities

The report also produces a ranking for thousands of the world’s cities. New Delhi famously hit the headlines in 2020 when the city witnessed drastically improved air quality when restrictions were introduced due to the pandemic.

However, the city soon returned to “normal” when pollution hit “emergency” levels in November 2020, and the city became enveloped in thick, toxic smog.

Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan share 47 of the 50 most polluted cities worldwide, with six of the 10 most polluted in India alone. Byrnihat in India is the world’s most polluted city, while New Delhi is the world’s most polluted capital.

COUNTRY RANKING: Cleanest air in the world

The World Air Quality Report ranks 138 countries and territories from the most polluted to the least. States that have been omitted lack sufficient ground-based PM2.5 monitoring stations.

Rank	Country/territory	PM2.5 concentration
1	Bahamas	2.3
2	Bermuda	2.5
3	French Polynesia	2.5
4	US Virgin Islands	2.6
5	Puerto Rico	2.7
6	Montserrat	2.7
7	Barbados	3.1
8	Grenada	3.2
9	Iceland	4.0
10	New Zealand	4.4
11	Australia	4.5
12	Estonia	4.6
13	Finland	5.2
14	Sweden	5.3
15	Andorra	6.0
16	Trinidad & Tobago	6.1
17	Ireland	6.5
18	Liechtenstein	6.5
19	Norway	6.6
20	Canada	6.7
21	Portugal	6.8
22	Costa Rica	7.0
23	USA	7.1
24	Denmark	7.2
25	Switzerland	7.3

Rank	Country/territory	PM2.5 concentration
26	UK	7.4
27	Anguilla	7.4
28	Luxembourg	7.5
29	France	8.1
30	Cayman Islands	8.5
31	Japan	8.6
32	Spain	8.7
33	Argentina	8.7
34	Belgium	8.9
35	Netherlands	8.9
36	Germany	9.0
37	Latvia	9.2
38	Ukraine	9.2
39	Ecuador	9.7
40	Russia	9.8
41	Bolivia	10.0
42	Panama	10.1
43	Lithuania	10.1
44	Austria	10.2
45	Singapore	11.4
46	Uruguay	11.5
47	Greece	11.5
48	Malta	11.7
49	Maldives	12.2
50	Bulgaria	12.4

Rank	Country/territory	PM2.5 concentration
51	Suriname	12.5
52	Czech Republic	12.7
53	Cyprus	12.8
54	Kosovo	12.9
55	Hungary	12.9
56	Slovakia	13.6
57	Colombia	13.8
58	Croatia	13.8
59	Italy	14.2
60	Kenya	14.3
61	Albania	14.5
62	Moldova	14.7
63	Nicaragua	14.8
64	Poland	14.8
65	Philippines	14.8
66	Brazil	14.9
67	Georgia	15.1
68	Kazakhstan	15.1
69	Gabon	15.2
70	Honduras	15.2
71	Slovenia	15.2
72	Turkey	15.3
73	Romania	15.3
74	Algeria	15.4
75	Paraguay	15.9

Rank	Country/territory	PM2.5 concentration
76	Hong Kong SAR	16.3
77	Chile	16.6
78	Mozambique	16.7
79	Djibouti	16.8
80	South Korea	17.0
81	Peru	17.1
82	Israel	17.2
83	El Salvador	17.3
84	Mexico	17.4
85	Taiwan	17.5
86	Guyana	17.5
87	Macao SAR	17.7
88	Sri Lanka	17.9
89	Montenegro	18.0
90	Azerbaijan	18.3
91	Malaysia	18.3
92	South Africa	18.8
93	Guatemala	18.8
94	Thailand	19.8
95	Serbia	20.2
96	Madagascar	20.5
97	Palestine	21.1
98	Kyrgyzstan	21.1
99	Cambodia	21.9
100	Zambia	22.0

Rank	Country/territory	PM2.5 concentration
101	Ethiopia	22.2
102	Senegal	22.3
103	Libya	22.3
104	North Macedonia	23.3
105	Armenia	24.4
106	Ivory Coast	24.6
107	Zimbabwe	24.8
108	Saudi Arabia	25.1
109	Myanmar	25.2
110	Bosnia Herzegovina	25.3
111	Mongolia	25.6
112	Togo	26.0
113	Turkmenistan	26.5
114	Laos	27.5
115	Cameroon	27.6
116	Vietnam	28.7
117	Kuwait	30.2
118	China	31.0
119	Qatar	31.3
120	Uzbekistan	31.4
121	Bahrain	31.8
122	UAE	33.7
123	Gambia	35.2
124	Indonesia	35.5
125	Ghana	35.8

Rank	Country/territory	PM2.5 concentration
126	Iraq	38.4
127	Egypt	39.8
128	Nigeria	40.1
129	Burundi	40.3
130	Rwanda	40.8
131	Uganda	41.0
132	Nepal	42.8
133	Tajikistan	46.3
134	India	50.6
135	DR Congo	58.2
136	Pakistan	73.7
137	Bangladesh	78.0
138	Chad	91.8

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Lead image: Ruth Peterkin/Dreamstime