No country managed to pass the World Health Organization‘s air quality test in 2021, according to a new survey.
Of the nearly 6,475 cities in 117 countries surveyed for air quality, only 3% of cities and no countries met WHO standards as pollution rebounded globally from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic reprieve.
“It is a shocking fact that no major city or country is providing safe and healthy air to their citizens according to the latest World Health Organization air quality guidelines,” said Frank Hammes, CEO of Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, which conducted the survey. “This report underscores just how much work remains to be done to ensure that everyone has safe, clean, and healthy air to breathe. The time for action is now.”
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Topping the list of the most polluted countries in 2021 were Bangladesh, Chad, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and India. On the other side, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Scandinavian countries, Portugal, and the United Kingdom ranked among the best countries for air quality, exceeding the WHO’s recommended allowance of harmful air particles by only one to two times.
Only three territories, the French territory of New Caledonia and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, met WHO guidelines. A total of 222 out of the 6,475 global cities met WHO standards, but most of those were not major global cities, according to the report.
China continued improving its air quality in 2021, with over half of the surveyed cities decreasing PM 2.5 levels compared to the prior year. In general, Central and South Asia were the worst regions in the world for air pollution, according to the survey.
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The survey, released Tuesday, is the first major report to assess countries based on WHO’s updated guidelines, IQAir claimed. Last September, WHO halved the acceptable concentration of fine particulate matter PM 2.5 from 10 micrograms per cubic meter down to five.
PM 2.5 refers to small particles that typically come from car exhausts, fires, and industrial centers. They reduce visibility and can pose health risks such as asthma and heart disease. PM 2.5 is considered one of the most harmful air pollutants and causes millions of premature deaths each year, according to IQAir.
