Breathing clean air is already an exception in much of the planet. Only 13 countries currently meet the recommended levels for the World Health Organization (WHO) on air quality, according to the global report prepared by the Swiss company IQAir.
The study analyzed data from 9,446 cities in 143 countriesregions and territories and confirmed a sustained deterioration of the environmental situation on a global scale.
The survey focuses on the presence of fine particles PM2.5one of the most dangerous pollutants for human health. Due to their microscopic size, they can penetrate deeply into the lungs and even enter the bloodstreamwhich increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and even cancer.
The report also warns that phenomena such as forest fires, dust storms y extreme weather events —increasingly frequent due to climate change—contributed to worsening air quality in different regions during 2025.
Which are the 13 countries with clean air, according to the WHO
The OMS establishes as a reference a annual limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5 to consider the air safe.
Only 13 countries managed to stay below that level during the last year analyzed. The territories that meet this standard are:
- Australia
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- French Polynesia
- Granada
- New Caledonia
- Panama
- Puerto Rico
- Reunion
- United States Virgin Islands
- Iceland
- Estonia
- Andorra
This implies that 130 of the 143 countries evaluated exceed the recommended valueswhich confirms that air pollution continues to be one of the main environmental and health challenges globally.
Which countries have the highest levels of pollution?
At the opposite end of the ranking are countries with especially high concentrations of fine particles in the air. Among those most affected are:
- Pakistan (67.3 µg/m³)
- Bangladeshi (66.1 µg/m³)
- Tajikistan (57.3 µg/m³)
- Chad (53,6 µg/m³)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (50.2 µg/m³)
In these cases, the values greatly exceed the limit recommended by the OMS and represent a significant risk to public health.
The impact of air pollution on health
The particles PM2.5 They are considered one of the most dangerous contaminants because they can easily enter the body.
Its prolonged exposure is associated with:
- Chronic respiratory diseases
- Cardiovascular problems
- Strokes
- Increased risk of cancer
- Increase in premature mortality
The main cause of environmental imbalances, which result in the deterioration of the quality of the air that is breathed on the planet, is driven by human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and the gas emissions that cause most road transport, or unsustainable and poorly controlled industrial activities, which is why OMS insists on reducing these emissions and improving environmental monitoring systems in cities.
Added to this are natural climatic factors, exacerbated by global warming, where phenomena such as extreme heat waves, prolonged droughts and dust storms also influence, all events associated with the climate change.
