Pakistan Tops Global Pollution Rankings in 2025, Air Quality Crisis Deepens

The annual report by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir found that concentrations of PM2.5, tiny airborne particles that pose serious health risks, were up to 13 times higher than the guideline set by the World Health Organisation.

According to the report, only 13 countries and territories managed to maintain average PM2.5 levels within the WHO's recommended limit of less than 5 micrograms per cubic metre in 2025, an increase from seven countries in 2024.

However, the majority of the world continued to struggle with air pollution. In total, 130 out of 143 monitored countries and territories failed to meet the WHO air quality guideline, the report said, according to Dawn.

Bangladesh and Tajikistan ranked second and third, respectively, among the most polluted countries last year, the Dawn reported.

The report also found that only 14 per cent of cities worldwide met the WHO air quality standard in 2025, down from 17 per cent a year earlier. Researchers attributed part of the deterioration to massive wildfires in Canada, which pushed PM2.5 levels higher across the United States and even parts of Europe, the Dawn reported.

Countries that managed to stay within the WHO limit included Australia, Iceland, Estonia and Panama.

Meanwhile, several Southeast Asian nations recorded improvements. Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia saw significant reductions in PM2.5 levels, largely due to wetter and windier conditions associated with La Nina.

Mongolia also reported a 31 per cent decline in average PM2.5 concentrations, falling to 17.8 micrograms per cubic metre.

Overall, IQAir said 75 countries recorded lower PM2.5 levels in 2025 compared with the previous year, while 54 countries saw pollution levels increase, the Dawn reported.

Earlier, Pakistan was ranked number one on the Global Terrorism Index for the first time, following a 6 per cent increase in terrorism-related fatalities during 2025. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2026, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the country recorded 1,139 deaths last year, highlighting a deteriorating security landscape.

The comprehensive report, which assesses the impact of terrorism across 163 countries, noted that Pakistan's "strained" relations with its neighbours, particularly Afghanistan, alongside escalating violence from the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), have created "significant security" risks.

The findings reveal that "deaths from terrorism in Pakistan are now at their highest level since 2013, with the country recording 1,139 terrorism deaths and 1,045 incidents in 2025." The TTP has solidified its position as the "deadliest" terror group within the country and the third deadliest on a global scale.

- ANI