If you’re a traveler, where are you most likely to find poor air quality? In which cities around the globe is the pollution level so high that it poses a real threat to your health?
There are a few locations in the Americas with subpar air, but they pale in comparison to the major pollution culprits in Asia, particularly India, where numerous cities make Mexico City seem like a fresh-air oasis.
During the early days of the pandemic when stay-at-home orders took effect and traffic plummeted, people could see the Himalayas from Kathmandu and other northern Indian cities. However, that clarity was short-lived, and they reverted to their smog-laden states. Capturing a photo of a clear blue sky with pristine snow-capped mountains from afar would now require an AI image generator.
<pIf you’re seeking a straightforward answer regarding places to steer clear of, avoid India. That nation holds the notorious title of hosting 83 out of the 100 most polluted cities globally, as per a study that utilized IQ Air data. Furthermore, a separate analysis from an air monitoring firm found that India had 28 of the top 30 most polluted cities; only Dhaka and Peshawar were exceptions.
Indeed, many of the most polluted cities that are not in India are located in neighboring countries: Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you have any respiratory issues, South Asia is the most harmful region on Earth for you. Depending on the time of year, China and Southeast Asia can also present significant air quality challenges.
Asia Exhibits Worse Air Pollution Than Other Regions
In the aforementioned study, Asia accounted for 99 out of the 100 most polluted cities worldwide—almost a clean sweep. The single city not in Asia was Benoni in South Africa.
This situation is attributed to numerous factors in Asia’s developing nations: farmers setting fields ablaze annually post-harvest, insufficient regulation of factory emissions, excessive reliance on dirty fuels like coal, and outdated vehicle engines emitting substantial air pollution. Those who have visited cities in India have witnessed this reality firsthand, to the extent that it can be unhealthy to step outside on some days.
For those traveling to India, it would be wise to significantly reduce your time spent in Delhi. As highlighted in the section below, it consistently ranks as the top city in the world for air pollution. Kolkata is not far behind, followed by over 80 other cities with hazardous air quality, although luckily for tourists, many of these are lesser-known industrial hubs rather than popular destinations.
Interestingly, these reports may not provide a complete picture. Africa has some seriously polluted cities, but since air quality is rarely monitored or reported, it’s challenging to ascertain their pollution levels. According to the report I’ve referenced, “Africa remains the most underrepresented continent, with one-third of its population lacking access to air quality data.” In other words, there may be five or ten African cities among the world’s most polluted, but they are willfully unaware.
Similarly, some cities in South America might rank worse, but we lack definitive evidence since “70% of the real-time air quality data in the region of Latin America & Caribbean comes from low-cost sensors.”
The Five Most Polluted Cities Globally
According to the latest report from IQAir, the five cities with the severest air pollution are all situated in South Asia:
- Delhi, India
- Lahore, Pakistan
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Karachi, Pakistan
- Kolkata, India
Here’s a chilling statistic that illustrates the magnitude of affected individuals:
Over 80 million people reside in the five most polluted major cities.
To provide some context, if these 80 million individuals gathered in one location, it would be the 20th largest country in the world, just below Germany and exceeding Thailand.
Speaking of Thailand, while Bangkok frequently appears on lists of the most polluted cities, its pollution levels can vary dramatically throughout the year. These rankings are not fixed; factors such as weather conditions, fires, and variations in rainfall can all influence air quality.
Bangkok became so polluted