“Air pollution is one of the greatest environmental health risks“, estimates the World Health Organization (WHO). The health organization adds: “The combined effects of ambient air pollution and indoor air pollution are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths per year“.
Thus, it actually a major health issue which attracts the attention of government authorities. Every year, the Swiss company IQAir publishes its report on global air quality and ranks the worst countries for air pollution. This fifth report on 2022 was published on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. The authors of this report confide that it reveals “alarming details regarding the most polluted countries, territories, and regions on the planet in 2022“.
Pollution: the countries with the most breathable air are in the North
“For this year’s report, data from over 30,000 air quality monitoring stations at 7,323 sites in 131 countries, territories and regions were analyzed by IQAir scientists specializing in air quality,” explain the experts.
According to the results, the air is more breathable in Europe, and even further north. Among the best students in Europe, we therefore find Reykjavik (in Iceland), Tallinn (in Estonia) and Helsinki (in Finland).
However, Europeans are far from being good students. Among the most polluted cities on the continent, the report quotes in order:
- Athens (capital of Greece);
- Sofia (capital of Bulgaria);
- et Bucharest (capital of Romania).
On his side, Paris comes in 9th position. The report estimates France’s average PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) concentration at 12.7μg/m3 and 2022. Thus, France is more than twice above WHO recommendations.
Fine particles: only 5% of countries comply with WHO recommendations
To calculate air pollution, researchers need to detect PM2.5. It is fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns (μm). These particles are harmful to health, and can in particular increase the risk of contracting cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Thus, the WHO has established a threshold not to be exceeded. This annual average is 5 µg/m3 or less. According to the report carried out for the year 2022, only 6 countries have complied with this directive: Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland and New Zealand. This represents only 4.6% of European cities and regions.
Thus, out of the 131 countries, 118 did not respect this instruction, i.e. 90% of them. However, if the vast majority pollute too much, they are not equal. Discover the list of the 5 most polluted countries in the world according to the ranking.