Worst Countries For Air Pollution – Updated 2026

A global ranking of the worst countries for air pollution, measured by the number of deaths per 100,000 people.

Air pollution is one of the world’s most serious environmental health risks and a major contributor to premature death globally.

The ranking below is based on deaths attributed to both indoor and outdoor air pollution, using the most recent harmonized dataset available from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) as part of the Global Burden of Disease Study.

The latest global dataset currently available covers 2023 estimates, which remain the most recent globally comparable data available as of 2026.

Death rate from air pollution by country

The ranking is based on deaths per 100,000 people, a standard way of comparing health risks between countries of different sizes.

For example, a rate of 50 deaths per 100,000 people means that out of every 100,000 people in the population, about 50 die each year from air pollution-related causes.

Typically, air pollution falls into two categories: indoor (or household) and outdoor air pollution.

Indoor air pollution is usually caused by burning solid fuels such as firewood, crop waste and dung for cooking and heating. This creates air pollution that causes respiratory diseases, often resulting in premature death.

Indoor air pollution is typically more severe in poorer households.

Outdoor air pollution is typically worse in countries that are rapidly industrialising and transitioning from low- to middle-income economies.

The ranking combines deaths linked to both indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Key findings from the analysis

• Air pollution is attributed to about 8.1 million global deaths each year, representing 12% (nearly one-in-eight) of all deaths globally.
• The highest shares of deaths linked to air pollution are found across South and Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
• In the worst-affected countries, air pollution accounts for around 1 in 5 deaths, and in North Korea, it rises to nearly 1 in 3 deaths.
• Globally, death rates from air pollution have been falling, mainly as a result of progress made with tackling indoor pollution.
• Since 1990, the risk of dying from air pollution has nearly halved.
• The World Health Organization recently halved its safe limit for fine particle pollution. But more than 9 in 10 people worldwide breathe air that’s still too polluted, with only a handful of remote northern regions meeting the new guideline.

Worst countries for air pollution – complete ranking

The table ranks the world’s countries and territories by the estimated number of deaths attributable to air pollution.

Location	Rate	% Value
Afghanistan	85	17.2
Angola	51	7.5
Albania	96	11.1
Andorra	28	3.9
United Arab Emirates	23	16.2
Argentina	50	6.3
Armenia	125	15.3
American Samoa	29	3.7
Antigua and Barbuda	18	2.6
Australia	15	2.3
Austria	41	4.1
Azerbaijan	87	13.2
Burundi	86	10.8
Belgium	31	3.3
Benin	81	12
Burkina Faso	75	11.5
Bangladesh	156	24.9
Bulgaria	161	10.9
Bahrain	45	14.9
Bahamas	7	0.9
Bosnia and Herzegovina	197	16.7
Belarus	83	6.4
Belize	39	8
Bermuda	12	1.2
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	54	8.5
Brazil	41	5.9
Barbados	47	4.3
Brunei	15	3.4
Bhutan	85	12.8
Botswana	37	5.2
Central African Republic	140	11.9
Canada	18	2.2
Switzerland	28	3.6
Chile	50	8
China	143	19.2
Cote d'Ivoire	75	10.6
Cameroon	83	10.7
Democratic Republic of the Congo	95	11.5
Congo	68	9.6
Cook Islands	11	1.1
Colombia	42	8.1
Comoros	66	13.5
Cabo Verde	62	10.8
Costa Rica	38	6.8
Cuba	45	4.4
Cyprus	57	7.8
Czechia	61	5.9
Germany	42	3.5
Djibouti	54	8.8
Dominica	50	5.3
Denmark	25	2.5
Dominican Republic	46	6.6
Algeria	46	8.8
Ecuador	40	7
Eritrea	83	10
Spain	45	4.8
Estonia	16	1.4
Ethiopia	78	11.1
Finland	8	0.7
Fiji	53	6
France	26	2.8
Micronesia (Federated States of)	87	10.5
Gabon	59	7.9
United Kingdom	33	3.4
Georgia	133	10.9
Ghana	98	13.6
Guinea	119	14.1
Gambia	105	16.5
Guinea-Bissau	113	14
Equatorial Guinea	45	6.4
Greece	87	7.1
Grenada	41	4.6
Greenland	3	0.3
Guatemala	64	11.9
Guam	11	1.4
Guyana	51	6.1
Honduras	71	15.9
Croatia	111	8.3
Haiti	144	15.4
Hungary	97	7.4
Indonesia	67	10.2
India	139	20.4
Ireland	17	2.5
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	61	14.6
Iraq	81	16.1
Iceland	7	1
Israel	45	8.9
Italy	87	7.6
Jamaica	59	8.4
Jordan	39	12.6
Japan	78	6
Kazakhstan	63	9.7
Kenya	55	10.2
Kyrgyzstan	64	14.7
Cambodia	118	19.9
Kiribati	61	11.2
Saint Kitts and Nevis	23	2.9
Republic of Korea	71	10.4
Kuwait	33	17
Lao People's Democratic Republic	170	21.2
Lebanon	60	11.3
Liberia	105	12.5
Libya	44	6.6
Saint Lucia	27	3.7
Sri Lanka	122	15.2
Lesotho	121	10.2
Lithuania	68	5
Luxembourg	16	2.5
Latvia	101	6.9
Morocco	76	10
Monaco	72	5.2
Republic of Moldova	98	9.2
Madagascar	93	12.5
Maldives	20	5.5
Mexico	47	7.7
Marshall Islands	73	8.4
North Macedonia	147	13
Mali	101	12.4
Malta	40	5.5
Myanmar	219	22.2
Montenegro	136	12.7
Mongolia	71	13.3
Northern Mariana Islands	13	1.7
Mozambique	72	10.4
Mauritania	85	14
Mauritius	74	7.3
Malawi	72	9.6
Malaysia	48	8.5
Namibia	53	7.4
Niger	126	12.3
Nigeria	84	11.5
Nicaragua	54	12.5
Niue	25	2.2
Netherlands	29	3.1
Norway	9	1.1
Nepal	133	23
Nauru	21	2.3
New Zealand	18	2.4
Oman	32	13.4
Pakistan	102	18.1
Panama	37	6.9
Peru	47	8
Philippines	86	15
Palau	23	2.1
Papua New Guinea	122	19.2
Poland	75	7.1
Puerto Rico	28	2.7
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	233	26.8
Portugal	45	3.9
Paraguay	60	8.8
Palestine	32	4.6
Qatar	17	16.1
Romania	105	8.3
Russian Federation	62	5.1
Rwanda	87	12
Saudi Arabia	45	15
Senegal	80	14.6
Singapore	40	8.6
Solomon Islands	194	23.7
Sierra Leone	114	11.7
El Salvador	80	10.4
San Marino	53	6.6
Somalia	78	9.7
Serbia	157	11.8
South Sudan	105	10
Sao Tome and Principe	60	11.1
Suriname	53	7
Slovakia	65	6.5
Slovenia	55	5.4
Sweden	10	1.1
Eswatini	64	6.4
Seychelles	21	2.7
Syrian Arab Republic	81	15.4
Chad	124	12
Togo	93	12.6
Thailand	83	9.3
Tajikistan	87	18.4
Tokelau	14	1.7
Turkmenistan	94	14.6
Timor-Leste	120	18.9
Tonga	86	12.2
Trinidad and Tobago	63	6.3
Tunisia	56	8.7
Turkiye	86	12.4
Tuvalu	42	3.7
Taiwan	63	7.1
United Republic of Tanzania	70	12.7
Uganda	60	9.4
Ukraine	128	9.4
Uruguay	48	4.7
United States of America	25	2.7
Uzbekistan	106	18.3
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	39	4.4
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	72	8.5
United States Virgin Islands	22	1.8
Viet Nam	92	14
Vanuatu	136	23.4
Samoa	109	17.2
Yemen	81	19.5
South Africa	51	5.8
Zambia	66	9.4
Zimbabwe	75	10.3
Egypt	103	16.6
Sudan	102	15.9

Best-performing countries by region

• In Asia, Brunei has the lowest death rate from air pollution, ranking 31st globally.
• The Bahamas performs best in the Americas, placing second worldwide.
• In Oceania, the Cook Islands ranks fourth globally.
• Seychelles is the best-performing country among African nations, ranking 25th worldwide.

Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) as part of the Global Burden of Disease Study.