Countries with the Cleanest Air

One of the leading causes of death on the planet is air pollution. According to recent studies, Iceland has the cleanest air. It is followed by Grenada and Australia. Among European countries, Estonia, Finland, Andorra and Sweden have the best indicators.

At the same time, in the countries with the most polluted air, the situation is critical. In Chad, the concentration of PM2.5 reaches 89.7 micrograms per cubic metre, making it the most polluted in the world. It is followed by Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain and Bangladesh.

Pollution is one of the most important and trending topics of our time, which gives us hope that the situation will soon start to stabilise. And when choosing a country to live in, we should definitely consider this factor as a key one.

Ranking by country in 2024

Rank		The cleanest air	Life expectancyyears
1	Iceland	3.4	82.70
2	Grenada	3.8	74.90
3	Australia	4.2	84.50
4	Puerto Rico	4.3	80.20
5	New Zealand	4.8	82.50
6	Estonia	4.9	77.10
7	Finland	5	82.00
8	Trinidad & Tobago	5.1	73.00
9	Andorra	5.4	80.40
10	Belize	5.6	70.50
11	Sweden	6.2	83.00
12	Suriname	7	70.30
13	Norway	7	83.20
14	Bolivia	7.3	63.60
15	Luxembourg	7.4	82.60
16	Canada	7.4	82.70
17	Ireland	7.5	82.00
18	Argentina	7.7	75.40
19	Costa Rica	7.9	77.00
20	Portugal Visa Digital Nomad Financially Independent Residence Permit Freelance visa Study visa	8.1	81.00
21	Liechtenstein	8.3	83.30
22	Cambodia	8.3	69.60
23	Denmark	8.6	81.40
24	Angola	8.8	61.60
25	United States	8.9	77.20
26	United Kingdom	8.9	80.70
27	Nicaragua	8.9	73.80
28	Panama	9	76.20
29	Japan	9.1	84.80
30	Ukraine	9.7	71.60
31	Switzerland	10	84.00
32	Latvia	10.1	73.60
33	Honduras	10.2	70.10
34	Austria	10.6	81.60
35	Belgium	10.8	81.90
36	Maldives	10.9	79.90
37	Spain Visa Digital Nomad Startup Visa Study visa Financially Independent Residence Permit	10.9	83.00
38	Netherlands	11	81.70
39	Germany	11	80.60
40	Russia	11.2	69.40
41	Uruguay	11.3	75.40
42	Kenya	11.5	61.40
43	France	11.5	82.50
44	Malta	11.7	83.80
45	Brazil	12.2	72.80
46	Guyana	12.6	65.70
47	Hungary Visa Digital Nomad Business Residence Permit	12.6	74.50
48	Lithuania	13.2	73.70
49	Singapore	13.3	82.80
50	Taiwan	13.4	81.00
51	Czechia	13.4	77.70
52	El Salvador	14.2	70.70
53	Hong Kong SAR China	14.5	85.50
54	Albania	14.5	76.50
55	Slovakia	14.5	74.90
56	Kosovo (Disputed Territory)	14.7	76.80
57	Philippines	14.9	69.30
58	Slovenia	15.1	80.70
59	Macao SAR China	15.4	85.40
60	Congo - Kinshasa	15.5	59.20
61	Cyprus	15.6	81.20
62	Montenegro Visa Digital Nomad Business Residence Permit	15.7	76.30
63	Colombia	15.7	72.80
64	Poland	16.3	76.50
65	Georgia	17	71.70
66	Romania	17.2	74.20
67	Malaysia	17.7	74.90
68	Algeria	17.8	76.40
69	Thailand	18.1	78.70
70	South Korea	18.3	83.70
71	Bulgaria Business Residence Permit	18.3	71.80
72	Guatemala	18.6	69.20
73	Israel	18.8	82.30
74	Italy Visa Digital Nomad	18.9	82.90
75	Azerbaijan	18.9	69.40
76	Greece	19	80.10
77	Mexico	19.5	70.20
78	Syria	20	72.10
79	Senegal	20.4	67.10
80	Sri Lanka	20.7	76.40
81	Turkey Visa Digital Nomad	21.1	76.00
82	Turkmenistan	21.6	69.30
83	Chile	22.2	78.90
84	Côte d’Ivoire	22.5	58.60
85	Moldova	22.6	68.80
86	Kazakhstan	23	69.40
87	South Africa	23.4	62.30
88	Peru	23.5	72.40
89	Croatia Visa Digital Nomad	23.5	77.60
90	Madagascar	23.7	64.50
91	Myanmar (Burma}	24.3	65.70
92	Zambia	24.6	61.20
93	Serbia Business Residence Permit	24.7	74.20
94	Gabon	25	65.80
95	North Macedonia	25.6	73.80
96	Vietnam	27.2	73.60
97	Laos	27.6	68.10
98	Mongolia	29.5	71.00
99	Ghana	30.2	63.80
100	Indonesia	30.4	67.60
101	China	30.6	78.20
102	Kyrgyzstan	31.1	70.00
103	Ethiopia	31.3	65.00
104	Armenia	31.4	72.00
105	Iran	32.5	73.90
106	Uzbekistan	33.5	70.90
107	Bosnia & Herzegovina	33.6	75.30
108	Nigeria	36.9	52.70
109	Uganda	39.6	62.70
110	Nepal	40.1	68.50
111	Saudi Arabia	41.5	76.90
112	Qatar	42.5	79.30
113	Rwanda	44	66.10
114	Sudan	44.6	65.30
115	United Arab Emirates	45.9	78.70
116	Tajikistan	46	71.60
117	Egypt	46.5	70.20
118	India	53.3	67.20
119	Kuwait	55.8	78.70
120	Burkina Faso	63	59.30
121	Bangladesh	65.8	72.40
122	Bahrain	66.6	78.80
123	Pakistan	70.9	66.10
124	Iraq	80.1	70.40
125	Chad	89.7	52.50
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Top 10 countries with the cleanest air

You will find the cleanest air in Iceland. According to WHO data, the concentration of harmful substances in the air here is only 3.4 micrograms per cubic meter. And this is the minimum indicator in the world! This is facilitated by the northern isolated geographical location, low population density and active state measures to protect the environment. Renewable energy sources such as geothermal and hydropower are actively used here.

The second cleanest air in Grenada with a PM2.5 index of only 3.8 micrograms/m3. The country has a low level of industrial activity and motorization, as well as a small population density, which reduces the amount of emissions.

And Australia takes the honorable third place (4.2 micrograms/m3): Australia is known for its diverse nature and strict environmental standards. The Government is actively implementing environmental protection programs and the use of solar and wind energy. There is also a large area of nature reserves and protected areas in the country.

Other leaders in the air purity rating: Puerto Rico (4.3 micrograms/m3), New Zealand (4.8 micrograms/m3), Estonia (4.9 micrograms/m3), Finland (5 micrograms/m3), Trinidad and Tobago (5.1 micrograms/m3), Andorra (5.4 micrograms/m3) and Belize (5.6 micrograms/m3). Strict environmental protection policies are implemented in all these countries.

Mantua, Trento and Verbania on Lake Maggiore are the leaders in the ranking of the most environmentally friendly cities in Italy, according to the classification "Legambiente". These and other Italian cities are not only distinguished by their clean environment, but also provide unique opportunities for living and working. Thanks to the Italian Digital Nomad Visa program, prospects for a harmonious combination of high standards of environmental friendliness with professional activity are opening up

Top 10 countries with the dirtiest air

According to WHO, the most heavily polluted air is now in Chad (89.7). Chad is facing a critical level of air pollution, which seriously affects the health of citizens. The main reasons are overcrowded cities, the lack of effective environmental technologies and terrible poverty. Problems with access to clean water and resources also exacerbate the situation, causing difficulties in meeting basic needs. Moreover, waste incineration and the use of coal for heating and cooking significantly degrade air quality.

Iraq is in second place in terms of pollution (80.1 micrograms/m3): In Iraq, air pollution remains extremely high for a number of reasons, including military conflicts, industrialization and outdated technologies. The high density of cars and the lack of effective emission control lead to serious environmental problems.

And Pakistan ranks third in the anti-rating (70.9 micrograms/m3). This is due to the rapid growth of the population and industry. The country is facing problems with waste management, inefficient government policies and pollution from transport. Dusty urban areas and emissions from factories contribute to high levels of PM2.5, which negatively affects the health of the population and the ecosystem.

Next in the top ten countries with the dirtiest air are Bahrain (66.6), Bangladesh (65.8), Burkina Faso (63), Kuwait (55.8), India (53.3), Egypt (46.5) and Tajikistan (46). In all these States, factors that contribute to high levels of pollution prevail, including active industrialization, high levels of poverty and the lack of effective environmental protection measures.

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