The dirtiest cities in the world have been named: where Ukrainian settlements ended up
Kyiv • UNN
IQAir has published its annual report on global air quality. The most polluted cities are located in Asia, and the first Ukrainian city - Stryi - ranked 234th in the rating.
The most polluted cities in the world according to 2024 research are in Asia. As for Ukrainian cities, cities in Western and Central Ukraine lead the overall list, UNN reports with reference to IQAir.
Details
IQAir, a Swiss company that monitors air quality and is involved in air purification systems, has published its 7th annual global air quality report.
The study found that Asia is home to the most polluted cities in the world, with the exception of one, when considering the top 20 positions.
- 13 of the most polluted cities are in the world's most populous country - India;
- 4 cities are in neighboring Pakistan;
- one each in China and Kazakhstan.
N'Djamena, the capital of Chad in central Africa, is the only city outside Asia to be in the top 20 most polluted cities.
What place does Ukraine occupy according to the IQAir report?
According to the current IQAir rating, Stryi, a city in the Lviv region, the administrative center of the Stryi district, is in 234th place (among all cities in the world). It is preceded by a number of cities in Italy, Greece, and Slovakia.
If we consider Ukraine exclusively, according to current world air research data, the ranking is as follows:
Most polluted: Stryi, Chernivtsi, Borova (Fastiv district, Kyiv region), Protsiv (a village in the Voronkivska rural community of Boryspil district, Kyiv region), as well as Zazymia (Brovary district, Kyiv region), Mali Dmytrovychi (Obukhiv district, Kyiv region) and Ivano-Frankivsk.
What the report found for other regions of the world
Twelve other cities in the top 20 are in India.
Its capital, New Delhi, was the world's most polluted capital for the sixth consecutive year with a PM2.5 concentration of 91.8. The report also listed six satellite cities – Faridabad, Loni, Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and Greater Noida – that made the list.
But overall, India – the world's most populous nation with a population of 1.4 billion people – dropped from third to fifth place compared to the previous year.
Also, the cities with the worst pollution in North America were in California.
China is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, but in recent years it has campaigned against air pollution, especially in cities that have contributed to its economic growth.
The average annual national PM2.5 concentration decreased from 32.5 micrograms per cubic meter to 31, and air quality improved in megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, the report said.
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