Pakistan’s two major cities, Lahore and Karachi, are among the world’s 10 most polluted cities, with the respective Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching very unhealthy and unhealthy levels on Thursday.
According to data collected from the IQ Air website on Thursday at 01:05 pm, Lahore, Punjab, ranked fourth with an AQI of 209 (very unhealthy, while Sindh’s capital, Karachi, ranked in 10th place with an AQI of 163 (unhealthy).
Cairo (Egypt) leads the list with an AQI of 402 (hazardous), followed by Dhaka, Bangladesh, with an AQI of 286 (very unhealthy).
Delhi (India) ranked third with an AQI of 228 (very unhealthy), closely followed by Lahore (Pakistan) with an AQI of 209 (very unhealthy).
Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) ranked fifth with an AQI of 200 (unhealthy), followed by Tehran (Iran) with an AQI of 183 (unhealthy).
Almaty (Kazakhstan) ranked seventh with an AQI of 182 (unhealthy), closely followed by Kolkata (India) with an AQI of 181 (unhealthy).
Doha (Qatar) is ranked 9th with an AQI of 180 (unhealthy), followed by Karachi (Pakistan) with an AQI of 163 (unhealthy).
AQI of the first-ranked city (Cairo) is hazardous, that of the second to fourth cities is very unhealthy, and that of the fifth to 16th cities is unhealthy.
Normal rain, higher temperatures likely in Pakistan during January 2026
