Pakistan ‘Tops’ The List Of World’s Most Polluted Countries In 2025, With Bangladesh And Tajikistan As Runner‑Ups In Misery: IQAir Report

Pakistan has been ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, with levels of hazardous fine particulate matter far exceeding global health standards, Dawn reported on Tuesday.

Pakistan: World’s Most Polluted Country In 2025

According to the Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir’s yearly report, PM2.5 concentrations tiny airborne particles that pose major health risks were up to 13 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended level. Only 13 nations and territories, up from seven in 2024, were able to keep average PM2.5 levels below the WHO’s recommended limit of less than 5 micrograms per cubic metre in 2025, according to the research. Nonetheless, air pollution remained a problem for most of the world. According to Dawn, the research stated that 130 of the 143 countries and territories under observation did not match the WHO air quality criteria. Bangladesh and Tajikistan ranked second and third, respectively, among the most polluted countries last year, the Dawn reported.

The report also found that only 14 per cent of cities worldwide met the WHO air quality standard in 2025, down from 17 per cent a year earlier. Researchers attributed part of the deterioration to massive wildfires in Canada, which pushed PM2.5 levels higher across the United States and even parts of Europe, the Dawn reported. Countries that managed to stay within the WHO limit included Australia, Iceland, Estonia and Panama. Meanwhile, several Southeast Asian nations recorded improvements. Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia saw significant reductions in PM2.5 levels, largely due to wetter and windier conditions associated with La Nina.

What Are The Other Countries Other Than Pakistan? 

The average PM2.5 concentrations in Mongolia also decreased by 31%, reaching 17.8 micrograms per cubic metre. According to IQAir, 75 countries had lower PM2.5 readings in 2025 than the year before, while 54 countries had higher pollution levels, according to the Dawn. Following a 6% rise in terrorism-related deaths in 2025, Pakistan was previously ranked first on the Global Terrorism Index for the first time. The nation had 1,139 fatalities last year, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace’s (IEP) Global Terrorism Index 2026, underscoring a worsening security situation.

The extensive report, which evaluates the effects of terrorism in 163 nations, stated that there are “significant security” risks due to Pakistan’s “strained” relations with its neighbours, especially Afghanistan, as well as rising violence from the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). According to the results, “terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan are now at their highest level since 2013, with the country recording 1,139 terrorism deaths and 1,045 incidents in 2025.”The TTP has established itself as the “deadliest” terror group in the nation and the third deadliest worldwide.

(With Inputs From ANI)

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