Most Polluted Countries in the world

Ground Report | New Delhi: Most Polluted Countries in the world; Environmental air pollution is one of the most visible consequences of the climatic pressure that we exert with our economic and social activity. Understood as the presence of harmful or polluting substances in the air we breathe, what is also known as pollution is not only harmful to the environment but also to human health, especially in the most polluted countries. To date, it is responsible for 22% of all cardiovascular diseases, 25% of deaths from stroke, 40% of deaths from lung cancer, and 53% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to points out the World Health Organization.

The main cause of air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels, whether in factories, houses, cars, or airplanes, which is why it is a problem closely linked to climate change that is of particular concern due to its impact on the health of people. most vulnerable. It is estimated that environmental air pollution, both in cities and in rural areas, is the cause of 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide each year, and that 91% of the population lives in areas that exceed the limits recommended by WHO.

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Currently, the Air Quality Index is an index developed by the non-profit entity IQAir that calculates the proportion in the air of any country or city of polluting particles such as ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. . This index gives a score from 0 to 500, where zero represents clean air and 500 is the most dangerous. Values ​​of 100 or less are generally considered satisfactory; however, when the values ​​are above 100, the air quality is considered even deadly for certain groups of people at risk and becomes more unsafe as the value increases.

Most Polluted Countries in the world

• 1. Bangladesh

This small country in the Indian subcontinent is one of the poorest in the world and also the most polluted, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 83.30, although its situation has improved somewhat from the 97.10 it marked a year ago.

• 2. Pakistan

The second most polluted country in the world is Pakistan, which has an average PM2.5 concentration of 65.81. In fact, pollution levels in the Punjab region, one of the most populous in the country, have consistently been between the ratings of "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" for most of the past year and reached a record high of 484.

3. Mongolia

The largest source of pollution in Mongolia, which has an average PM2.5 concentration of 62.00, is the burning of charcoal and other biomass, such as wood or crop residues, in household stoves.

4. Afghanistan

Afghanistan is the fourth most polluted country in the world, with an average PM2.5 level of 58.80. Specifically, the figures show a bleak reality: air pollution has been more dangerous for the population for some years than the war that has lasted almost two decades.

India

India is the second-most populous country in the world, but also the fifth most polluted, so in a matter of numbers, air pollution causes problems in this country for more people than anywhere else on the planet. In fact, of the 30 most polluted cities in the world, 21 are in India, where the most polluted city on the planet, Kanpur, has repeatedly nearly reached the fatal threshold of 500 PM2.5.

• 6 Indonesia

Indonesia's mean PM2.5 concentration is 51.71. Approximately 250,000 people die in that country each year due to exposure to pollution, which is the fourth-highest number of premature deaths from pollution in the world.

7. Bahrain

The seventh most polluted country in the world is Bahrain, which has an average PM2.5 of 46.80 and holds the dubious honor of having the worst air pollution in the entire Middle East.

• 8 Nepal

Despite being a country with a large percentage of High Mountain territory, since the Himalayas and Everest are located there, Nepal is also, with an average concentration of PM2.5 of 44.46, one of the most polluted countries of the world.

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9. Uzbekistan

According to the WHO, Uzbekistan, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 41, 20 has the third highest mortality rate in the world associated with outdoor pollution.

10. Iraq

Closing this list is Iraq, a very vulnerable country on a social and economic level due to the multiple conflicts that have occurred in its territory in recent decades.

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