Here is the ranking of the most polluted countries in the world
Global air pollution fell by 31% during the first COVID-19 shutdowns, demonstrating a link between economic activity and air quality.
As Visual Capitalist's Jenna Ross explains, this chart from the Hinrich Foundation, the fourth in a five-part series on trade sustainability, looks at how air pollution varies across economies. The data comes from the 2022 Sustainable Trade Index, produced by the Hinrich Foundation in partnership with the IMD World Competitiveness Center.
What is Air Pollution?
In this dataset, air pollution is measured using fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5. These particles are smaller than 2.5mm. These particles are less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which is about 28 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. They are made up of elements such as combustion particles, compounds and metals.
Their presence not only makes the air hazy but also poses the greatest risk to health of any other pollutant. When inhaled into the lungs, they can cause respiratory disease and even death. In fact, air pollution is one of the world's leading risk factors for death and is linked to 12% of deaths globally.
Geographical breakdown of
Air pollution levels have a wide spectrum across the world. Countries with lower GDP per capita tend to have higher pollution because they have less stringent air quality regulations, congested transportation systems, and rapidly developing industrial sectors. They also prioritize basic necessities, such as food and shelter. On the other hand, high-income economies can afford cleaning technologies such as filters that trap airborne particles.
The table below shows the breakdown of air pollution for selected economies considered in the 2022 Sustainable Trade Index. The numbers indicate micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic metre, with higher numbers indicating more pollution.
| rank | Economy | PM2.5 for Cubic Meters | Income Level of Economy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New Zealand |
6 | High |
| 2 |  Australia |
7 | High |
| 3 |  Canada |
7 | High |
| 4 |  United States |
8 | High |
| 5 |  Brunei |
8 | High |
| 6 |  United Kingdom |
10 | High |
| 7 |  Russia |
12 | medium |
| 8 |  Japan |
14 | High |
| 9 |  Papua New Guinea |
16 | Low |
| 10 |  Taiwan |
16 | High |
| 11 |  Malaysia |
17 | medium |
| 12 |  Philippines |
19 | medium |
| 13 |  Hong Kong |
19 | High |
| 14 |  Singapore |
19 | High |
| 15 |  Indonesia |
20 | medium |
| 16 |  Sri Lanka |
20 | medium |
| 17 |  Mexico |
20 | medium |
| 18 |  Vietnam |
20 | medium |
| 19 |  Ecuador |
21 | medium |
| 20 |  Laos |
21 | Low |
| 21 |  Cambodia |
22 | Low |
| 22 |  Chile |
24 | medium |
| 23 |  Thailand |
27 | medium |
| 24 |  South Korea |
27 | High |
| 25 |  Myanmar |
30 | Low |
| 26 |  Peru |
31 | medium |
| 27 |  China |
48 | medium |
| 28 |  bangladesh |
64 | Low |
| 29 |  Pakistan |
64 | Low |
| 30 |  India |
83 | Low |
Thanks to our Telegram channel you can stay updated on the publication of new articles from Economic Scenarios.
The article Here is the ranking of the most polluted countries in the world comes from Scenari Economici .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/ecco-la-classifica-dei-paesi-piu-inquinati-al-mondo/ on Sun, 12 Mar 2023 15:46:47 +0000.