Pakistan’s major city, Lahore, tops the world’s most polluted cities rankings, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) hits a hazardous level of 312 on Sunday afternoon.
According to data collected from the IQ Air website on Sunday at 02:40 pm, Lahore (Pakistan) leads the list with an AQI of 312 (hazardous), followed by Chengdu (China) with an AQI of 230 (very unhealthy).
Delhi (India) is in third place with an AQI of 211 (very unhealthy), followed by Cairo, Egypt, with an AQI of 205 (very unhealthy).
Dhaka (Bangladesh) ranked fifth with an AQI of 204 (very unhealthy), followed by Chongqing (China) with an AQI of 180 (unhealthy).
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) ranked seventh with an AQI of 178 (unhealthy), followed by Hanoi (Vietnam) with an AQI of 156 (unhealthy).
Kolkata (India) ranked ninth with an AQI of 154 (unhealthy), followed by Mumbai (India) with an AQI of 139 (unhealthy for sensitive groups). Karachi (Pakistan) is ranked 17th with an AQI of 107 (unhealthy for sensitive groups).
AQI of the first-ranked city (Lahore) is hazardous, that of the second to fifth cities (Chengdu, Delhi, Cairo and Dhaka) is very unhealthy, and that of the sixth to ninth cities (Chongqing, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Kolkata) is unhealthy. AQI of 10th to 18th cities is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Normal rain, higher temperatures likely in Pakistan during January 2026
