No country met WHO air quality standard in 2021

Tags: Science and Technology

Not a single country managed to meet the World Health Organisation's (WHO) air quality standard in 2021. In a survey conducted in 6475 cities in 117 countries by IQAir, a Swiss pollution technology company, showed that pollution and smog has increased in some cities of the world after a COVID-related dip.

The IQAir's annual World Air Quality Report 2021 was  released on 22 March 2022.

The WHO recommends that average annual readings of small and hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 should be no more than 5 micrograms per cubic metre. 

But only 3.4% of the surveyed cities met the standard in 2021, 

As many as 93 cities saw PM2.5 levels at 10 times the recommended level.

Highlights of the IQAir's annual World Air Quality Report 2021 

It has ranked the country on the basis of average PM2.5 concentration (micrograms per cubic metre).  

Most Polluted Country in the world ( in descending order) , Pm 2.5 concentration (micrograms per cubic metre) 

1. Bangladesh     76.9

2. Chad        75.9

3. Pakistan     66.8

4. Tajikistan     59.4

5. India         59.1

Least polluted country/territory in the world (New Caledonia)  3.8

Most Polluted Capital city ( in descending order),micrograms per cubic meter 

1. New Delhi    85.00

2. Dhaka (Bangladesh ) 78.1

3. N'Djamena (Chad)    77.6

4. Dushanbe(Tajikistan)    59.5

5. Muscat(Oman )    53.9

Least polluted capital city  Noumea(New Caledonia ) 3.8

Most Polluted City in the world (in descending order)

1. Bhiwadi (Rajasthan )

2. Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh)

3. Hotan (China)

Kindly also see 7 March 2022 post on Air Pollution and PM 2.5 

Important for Exam 

World Health Organisation (WHO)

It is a specialised agency of the United Nations .

It was set up on 7 April 1948

Headquarters : Geneva , Switzerland 

Director General of WHO: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of .Ethiopia