The Ranking of Countries with the Cleanest and Most Polluted Air in 2021 Has Been Released

The ranking of countries with the cleanest and most polluted air in 2021 has been released. Last year, almost no country met the air quality standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO). In some places, pollution levels reverted to their previous values after a period of improvement due to the "COVID-19" pandemic in 2020.

The Swiss company IQAir published the Global Air Quality Report 2021. The analysis is based on data obtained from tens of thousands of air quality monitoring stations operated by governments, nonprofit organizations, research institutions, educational establishments, companies, and scientists.

The research was conducted in 6,475 cities across 117 countries around the world. According to the report’s authors, air pollution is considered the most severe environmental threat, claiming seven million lives every year. It causes and exacerbates numerous diseases from asthma to cancer, as well as lung and heart diseases, with daily costs to the economy estimated at around eight billion dollars. In 2019, the presence of harmful substances in the air (both indoors and outdoors) was responsible for approximately 12% of deaths.

Thus, the most polluted air is found in Bangladesh, followed by Chad, and then Pakistan. Armenia ranks 19th in the list of countries by air pollution with a score of 33.9. The situation in neighboring countries is as follows: Iran ranks 24th with a score of 30.3, Georgia is 42nd with a score of 21.0, Turkey 46th with 20.0, and Azerbaijan holds the 57th position with 17.6. Russia’s score is 12.3, placing it at 80th.

According to IQAir’s report, the cleanest air is found in Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and the islands of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean.

PM2.5 is one of six pollutants that are regularly measured in the air. Major PM2.5 sources include sulfates, nitrates, soot, and ammonium. Natural sources of these pollutants include dust and sand storms, as well as forest fires. Major causes of air pollution include internal combustion engines, industrial and agricultural activities, construction, and the burning of wood and coal in residential areas.