A new study shows that only seven countries in the world meet WHO air pollution guidelines. IQAir’s annual study, based on toxic PM2.5 particles , shows some progress in reducing pollution in India and China. But almost every country on Earth still has dirtier air to breathe than doctors recommend, the report says.

In 2024, only seven countries met World Health Organization guidelines for the smallest toxic particles, known as PM2.5, according to an analysis by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir .

The most polluted countries were Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India and Tajikistan. In the global ranking of air quality, Tajikistan took sixth place among 138 countries in the world for the average annual content of PM2.5 in the air.

According to the report, PM2.5 levels in Tajikistan in 2024 were at least 9.3 times higher than the established standards. In Chad, which ranks first, they were 18 times higher than the recommended levels.

Australia, New Zealand and Estonia are among the few countries where average annual PM2.5 emissions are below 5 micrograms per cubic metre, along with Iceland and some small island states.

In the ranking of the most polluted cities based on the average annual concentration of PM2.5 (μg/m³)  , Dushanbe  ranks 176. The most polluted months in Dushanbe, according to monitoring, are winter months – December, January and February.

However, among the world’s capitals, Dushanbe is among the ten most polluted, ranking sixth.

According to the results of 2024, the most polluted city was the capital of India – New Delhi with a rate of 91.8 μg / cubic meter. Dushanbe with readings of 46.3 μg / cubic meter is in sixth place in the global ranking and first among other capitals of Central Asia.

We tell you how to choose the right air purifiers here .

The annual report, now in its seventh year, highlighted some areas of progress, finding that the proportion of cities meeting PM2.5 standards rose from 9% in 2023 to 17% in 2024.

Air pollution levels in India, home to six of the world’s ten dirtiest cities, fell by 7% between 2023 and 2024. Air quality in China has also improved, part of a long-term trend that has seen the country’s levels of extreme PM2.5 air pollution nearly halve  between 2013 and 2020.

To create the rankings, the researchers averaged real-time air pollution data measured at ground level over a calendar year. About a third of the units were run by governments, and two-thirds were run by nonprofits, schools and universities, and individuals with sensors.

Air quality monitoring is worse in parts of Africa and West Asia, where several countries were excluded from the analysis. Poor countries tend to have dirtier air than rich ones, but often lack measuring stations to inform their citizens or prompt policy changes.

In Dushanbe, according to IQAir, five monitoring stations have been installed. You can monitor the air quality in Dushanbe and other cities of Tajikistan in real time  here .

March 2025 was relatively fresh for residents of Dushanbe – the content of PM2.5 particles in the air in the capital since the beginning of the month exceeds the permissible norm by only 1.5 times.

PM2.5 is one of six regularly measured air pollutants. These tiny particles come from many sources and vary in chemical composition and physical characteristics.

PM2.5 mainly includes sulfates, nitrates, soot and ammonium. Their common sources in nature are dust and sand storms, forest fires.

Anthropogenic sources include internal combustion engines, electricity generation, industry and agricultural activities, construction, and residential burning of wood and coal.

The PM2.5 figures are based on the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines, which were updated last September for the first time since 2006.

Recognizing the profound impact of air pollution on human health , the WHO has halved its annual PM2.5 target levels, from 10 to five micrograms per cubic meter. The goal is to prevent millions of deaths.

As the authors of the report note, air pollution is considered the most serious threat to the environment and human health.

“How to read air monitoring data and understand the Air Quality Index” can be found here .

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