Bangladesh 2nd worst in air quality rankings in 2023

Bangladesh has replaced Chad to become the 2nd most smoggy country in the globe, data published on Tuesday showed.

Pakistan remained top smoggiest countries in 2023, as India replaced Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization.

Average concentrations of PM2.5 - small airborne particles that damage the lungs - reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic metre in Bangladesh in 2023, and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan. The WHO recommends no more than 5 micrograms.

"Because of the climate conditions and the geography (in South Asia), you get this streak of PM2.5 concentrations that just skyrocket because the pollution has nowhere to go," said Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organisation.

"On top of that are factors such as agricultural practices, industry and population density," she added. "Unfortunately, it really does look like it will get worse before it gets better."

In 2022, Bangladesh was ranked as having the fifth-worst air quality, and India was eighth.

About 20% of premature deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to air pollution, and related healthcare costs amount to 4%-5% of the country's GDP, said Md Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at Dhaka's North South University.

Only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand met WHO standards in 2023.

The IQAir report was based on data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations in 134 countries and regions.