Like other South Asian nations, Pakistan is facing with a concerning boom in pollution levels, with the country experiencing some of the world’s most severe air quality issues.
According to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, Pakistan maintained its position with the second worst air quality globally in 2023, registering an average PM2.5 concentration of 73.7 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³). PM2.5 levels in Islamabad reached their highest recorded levels, while Lahore, previously recognized as the world’s most polluted city in March 2023, saw a significant rise in its PM2.5 levels, prompting court directives for a “smog emergency” in the provincial capital.
The report highlighted that every city in Pakistan included in the 2023 report exceeded the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline, with several cities such as Faisalabad, Karachi, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi recording alarmingly high PM2.5 levels compared to WHO standards.
Various factors, including crop burning, deforestation, industrial and vehicle emissions, and smoke from brick kilns, contributed to the hazardous air quality. In response to the crisis, the government implemented lockdowns in multiple Punjab cities due to thick smog, and in December 2023, Lahore witnessed its first artificial rain to mitigate the dangerous air quality levels. Pakistan’s average PM2.5 levels rank second globally, surpassed only by Bangladesh, while India follows closely in third place.
Other key findings of IQAir Report
📌 The top 5 most polluted countries in the world in 2023 included: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and Burkina Faso.
📌 Seven countries which met the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline (annual average of 5 µg/m3 or less) included Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand.
📌 Africa remains the most underrepresented continent, with a third of the population still lacking access to air quality data.
📌 Of the top ten most polluted cities in the world, 9 belong to India.
📌 China also saw PM2.5 rise 6.3% to 32.5 micrograms last year, after five consecutive annual declines.
📌 For the first time in the history of this report, Canada was the most polluted country in Northern America, with the region’s 13 most polluted cities located within its borders.