IQAir released its 7th annual World Air Quality Report (2024). Analyzed data from 40,000+ air quality monitoring stations in 8,954 locations across 138 countries, territories, and regions.
Key Findings
- Only 17% of global cities meet WHO air pollution guidelines.
- Seven countries met the WHO annual average PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m3:
- Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Estonia, Grenada, Iceland, New Zealand.
- Five most polluted countries (2024):
- Chad (91.8 µg/m³) – 18 times WHO guideline
- Bangladesh (78.0 µg/m³) – 15 times WHO guideline
- Pakistan (73.7 µg/m³) – 14 times WHO guideline
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (58.2 µg/m³) – 11 times WHO guideline
- India (50.6 µg/m³) – 10 times WHO guideline
- 126 out of 138 countries (91.3%) exceed WHO PM2.5 guideline.
Regional Highlights
- Most polluted metropolitan area: Byrnihat, India (128.2 µg/m³).
- India: 6 out of 9 most polluted cities globally.
- India ranks as the fifth most polluted country, a slight improvement from third place in 2023.
- The average 5 concentration in India decreased by 7% to 50.6 micrograms per cubic metre.
- However, cities like Delhi continue to struggle, with a PM2.5 level of 91.6 micrograms per cubic metre. This figure is nearly unchanged from the previous year.
- Southeast Asia: 5 levels decreased, but haze & El Niño effects persist.
- Africa: Severe data scarcity, only 1 monitoring station per 3.7 million people.
- Latin America:
- Amazon wildfires caused 5 levels to quadruple in some Brazilian cities.
- Oceania: Cleanest region, 57% of cities meet WHO standards.
Air Quality Monitoring & Policy Impact
- Air quality monitoring expanding, but gaps remain in government systems.
- Low-cost air quality monitors help bridge data gaps and inform policy decisions.
- IQAir’s Schools4Earth initiative:
- Plans to provide air quality monitors to 1 million schools globally.
- Could increase access to real-time pollution data for over 94% of the world population.
Global Call to Action
- Air pollution is a critical threat to health & environment.
- Data-driven policies needed to tackle emissions.
- Urgent international efforts required to mitigate climate and pollution crises.
- Young people disproportionately affected, making action imperative for future generations.
