Bangladesh And Pakistan Sit Atop World's 'Most Polluted Countries' 2024 List, India Is At This Spot...

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The AQI, '2024 World's Most Polluted Countries' list has nine out of the top 10 spots occupied by South Asian and Middle Eastern countries, data from AQI revealed.

In the most polluted cities list, Asian and African countries make up the top 25, with Bosnia and Herzegovina being the first European name at #26, Macedonia at #39, South America's Peru at #40, Turkey at #41 (Asia/Europe), North America's Mexico at #43, Montenegro at #44 (Europe), Serbia at #45 (Europe) and Gautemala at #45 (South America).

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Among the countries, Bangladesh and Pakistan have topped the unflattering list, sitting at #1 and #2 slots, with AQI levels of 140 and 115, respectively. Meanwhile, neighbour India is not far behind at #3, reporting average annual AQI levels of 111--which falls in the poor category.

AQI Index: 2024 World's Most Polluted Countries --- Top 10

Rounding off the top 5 are Bahrain at #4 and Nepal at #5, with annual AQI for 2024 recorded at 103 (poor) and 100 (moderate), respectively.

In the top 10 are Egypt at #6 -- the only non-Asian country-- (annual AQI of 91), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at #7 (with AQI of 90), Kuwait at #8 (with AQI of 89), Tajikistan at #9 (also with annual AQI of 89) and Kyrgyzstan at #10 (with average annual AQI recorded at 87).

An air quality index (AQI) of 0-50 is considered good, while an AQI between 50-100 is moderate, from 100-150 is poor, and from 150-200 is considered unhealthy. AQI of 200-250 is severe, and above 250-300 is deemed hazardous, according to data on the AQI website.

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