Dhaka ranked 14th among the world’s most polluted cities on Thursday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 88 at 09:18 am.

The air quality was classified as ‘Moderate’, indicating the air is acceptable for most people, it can pose a mild risk to a small number of "unusually sensitive" individuals, according to the AQI scale.

Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo topped the list with an AQI score of 178. Jakarta in Indonesia and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates jointly ranked second, each recording an AQI score of 156, while Kampala in Uganda placed third with a score of 154.

According to AQI standards, a reading between 101 and 150 is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, 151 to 200 ‘unhealthy’, 201 to 300 ‘very unhealthy’, while levels above 301 are deemed ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks.

The AQI, which provides daily updates on air quality, indicates how clean or polluted the air is and highlights potential health impacts.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is calculated based on five major pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone.

Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution, with air quality typically worsening in winter and improving during the monsoon season.

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes around seven million deaths globally each year, mainly due to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.