Pakistan ranked most polluted country in 2025, data shows


Vehicles move amid smog and air pollution during morning hours in Peshawar, Pakistan, November 28, 2025. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz

SINGAPORE, March 24 (Reuters) - Pakistan was ranked ⁠the world's smoggiest country in 2025, with concentrations of hazardous small particles known as ⁠PM2.5 up to 13 times higher than the recommended World Health Organization level, ‌research showed on Tuesday.

Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir said in its annual report that 13 countries and territories kept average PM2.5 levels at the WHO standard of less than 5 micrograms per cubic metre last year, up from ​seven in 2024.

Following are some of the findings of ⁠the report:

(Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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