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Pakistan Named World's Most Polluted Country in 2025

Pakistan Named World's Most Polluted Country in 2025

Pakistan Named World's Most Polluted Country in 2025
Above: Commuters ride along a dusty street in Karachi, Pakistan, on Jan. 14, 2026. Image credit: Rizwan Tabassum/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Air pollution is a global crisis driven by fossil fuel combustion, and tackling it is a win-win for public health and the climate. Cutting harmful pollutants like PM2.5 reduces disease and death while also slashing greenhouse gas emissions. Smart policy, cleaner industry and stronger regulations are the only real path forward.

Pakistan topping the 2025 World Air Quality Report with a PM2.5 level of 67.3 µg/m³ — more than 13 times the WHO safe limit — is a damning indictment of failed governance and unchecked fossil fuel dependence. South Asia's pollution crisis is systemic, not accidental, driven by weak enforcement, coal reliance and rampant vehicle emissions. Real reform demands coordinated action, not hollow pledges.

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 50% chance that at least 112 million DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) will be caused by outdoor air pollution in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0