The air you would be breathing

Annual PM2.5 against the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³. Only 5 of 206 cities meet it.

Horizontal bar chart of the 28 cities with the highest annual PM2.5, with the WHO guideline of 5 micrograms marked

Red is 25 µg/m³ and above, amber 15 and above. The dashed line is the WHO guideline, which almost nothing clears.

What the chart says

Only 5 of 206 cities meet the WHO guideline. The guideline is 5 µg/m³; the worst city on the list, Jakarta, runs 62.9 — 12.6 times over.
It is not a rich/poor split. Los Angeles, Warsaw and Kraków sit in the same band as Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.

All 283

Every city, dirtiest first.

#	City	Market	PM2.5 µg/m³	× WHO guideline
1	Jakarta	IDN	62.9	12.6×
2	Bandung	IDN	47.9	9.6×
3	Hanoi	VNM	39.9	8.0×
4	Kuala Lumpur	MYS	37.9	7.6×
5	Surabaya	IDN	32.5	6.5×
6	Yogyakarta	IDN	29.0	5.8×
7	Santiago	CHL	28.8	5.8×
8	Tokyo	JPN	28.4	5.7×
9	Seoul	KOR	26.4	5.3×
10	Incheon	KOR	26.4	5.3×
11	Suwon	KOR	26.4	5.3×
12	Hai Phong	VNM	26.1	5.2×
13	Kaohsiung City	TWN	25.4	5.1×
14	Tainan City	TWN	25.4	5.1×
15	Taichung City	TWN	24.8	5.0×
16	Bangkok	THA	24.5	4.9×
17	Kraków	POL	24.1	4.8×
18	Kisumu	KEN	22.9	4.6×
19	Ho Chi Minh City	VNM	22.7	4.5×
20	Istanbul	TUR	22.6	4.5×
21	São Paulo	BRA	21.8	4.4×
22	Taipei City	TWN	21.7	4.3×
23	Mexico City	MEX	20.9	4.2×
24	Warsaw	POL	20.6	4.1×
25	Hsinchu City	TWN	20.2	4.0×
26	Belgrade	SRB	19.9	4.0×
27	Chiang Mai	THA	19.8	4.0×
28	Ankara	TUR	19.7	3.9×
29	Los Angeles	USA	19.6	3.9×
30	Bucharest	ROU	19.2	3.8×
31	Da Nang	VNM	19.0	3.8×
32	Nay Pyi Taw	MMR	18.8	3.8×
33	Mandalay	MMR	18.8	3.8×
34	Johor Bahru	MYS	18.7	3.7×
35	Osaka	JPN	18.6	3.7×
36	Taoyuan City	TWN	18.5	3.7×
37	Daegu	KOR	17.9	3.6×
38	Izmir	TUR	17.9	3.6×
39	Grodno	BLR	17.9	3.6×
40	Rio de Janeiro	BRA	17.8	3.6×
41	Vang Vieng	LAO	17.5	3.5×
42	Vientiane	LAO	17.4	3.5×
43	Novi Sad	SRB	17.4	3.5×
44	Khon Kaen	THA	17.3	3.5×
45	George Town	MYS	17.3	3.5×
46	Niš	SRB	17.3	3.5×
47	Adana	TUR	17.1	3.4×
48	Yangon	MMR	17.1	3.4×
49	Wrocław	POL	16.9	3.4×
50	Łódź	POL	16.9	3.4×
51	Busan	KOR	16.6	3.3×
52	Chiang Rai	THA	16.3	3.3×
53	Bursa	TUR	16.3	3.3×
54	Can Tho	VNM	16.1	3.2×
55	Phnom Penh	KHM	16.1	3.2×
56	Sofia	BGR	16.1	3.2×
57	Bogota	COL	15.8	3.2×
58	Nairobi	KEN	15.7	3.1×
59	Gaziantep	TUR	15.5	3.1×
60	Mawlamyine	MMR	15.5	3.1×
61	Poznań	POL	15.4	3.1×
62	Kraljevo	SRB	15.4	3.1×
63	Bucaramanga	COL	15.2	3.0×
64	San Diego	USA	15.2	3.0×
65	Budapest	HUN	15.0	3.0×
66	Ostrava	CZE	15.0	3.0×
67	Casablanca	MAR	14.8	3.0×
68	Metro Manila	PHL	14.5	2.9×
69	Ipoh	MYS	14.4	2.9×
70	Cluj-Napoca	ROU	14.4	2.9×
71	Brasov	ROU	14.3	2.9×
72	Fukuoka	JPN	14.2	2.8×
73	Luang Prabang	LAO	14.2	2.8×
74	Barcelona	ESP	14.1	2.8×
75	Jeju City	KOR	14.0	2.8×
76	Timisoara	ROU	13.7	2.7×
77	Agadir	MAR	13.7	2.7×
78	New York	USA	13.4	2.7×
79	Oradea	ROU	13.3	2.7×
80	Pakse	LAO	13.3	2.7×
81	Siem Reap	KHM	13.2	2.6×
82	Savannakhet	LAO	13.2	2.6×
83	Pattaya	THA	13.1	2.6×
84	Debrecen	HUN	13.1	2.6×
85	Plovdiv	BGR	13.1	2.6×
86	Hua Hin	THA	12.8	2.6×
87	Miskolc	HUN	12.7	2.5×
88	Medellin	COL	12.6	2.5×
89	Gdańsk	POL	12.6	2.5×
90	Barranquilla	COL	12.6	2.5×
91	Battambang	KHM	12.5	2.5×
92	Nha Trang	VNM	12.4	2.5×
93	Monterrey	MEX	12.4	2.5×
94	Sibiu	ROU	12.4	2.5×
95	Nyiregyhaza	HUN	12.3	2.5×
96	Angeles City	PHL	12.2	2.4×
97	Prague	CZE	12.2	2.4×
98	Iasi	ROU	12.1	2.4×
99	Pecs	HUN	12.1	2.4×
100	Usti nad Labem	CZE	12.1	2.4×
101	Taunggyi	MMR	11.9	2.4×
102	Szeged	HUN	11.9	2.4×
103	Olomouc	CZE	11.9	2.4×
104	Malacca City	MYS	11.8	2.4×
105	Gyor	HUN	11.8	2.4×
106	Brno	CZE	11.8	2.4×
107	Guadalajara	MEX	11.5	2.3×
108	Atlanta	USA	11.5	2.3×
109	Asunción	PRY	11.5	2.3×
110	Luque	PRY	11.5	2.3×
111	Seville	ESP	11.5	2.3×
112	Santo Domingo	ECU	11.4	2.3×
113	Santo Domingo	DOM	11.3	2.3×
114	Nakuru	KEN	11.2	2.2×
115	Phoenix	USA	11.2	2.2×
116	Antalya	TUR	11.2	2.2×
117	Fez	MAR	11.2	2.2×
118	Antofagasta	CHL	11.2	2.2×
119	Kecskemet	HUN	11.2	2.2×
120	Dallas	USA	11.1	2.2×
121	Duesseldorf	DEU	11.1	2.2×
122	Gomel	BLR	11.1	2.2×
123	Pereira	COL	10.9	2.2×
124	Sihanoukville	KHM	10.9	2.2×
125	Denpasar	IDN	10.8	2.2×
126	Kep	KHM	10.8	2.2×
127	Hradec Kralove	CZE	10.8	2.2×
128	Kota Kinabalu	MYS	10.7	2.1×
129	Punta Cana	DOM	10.7	2.1×
130	Rabat	MAR	10.7	2.1×
131	Marrakech	MAR	10.7	2.1×
132	Merida	MEX	10.6	2.1×
133	Recife	BRA	10.6	2.1×
134	Lima	PER	10.6	2.1×
135	Toronto	CAN	10.6	2.1×
136	Edmonton	CAN	10.6	2.1×
137	Guayaquil	ECU	10.6	2.1×
138	Duran	ECU	10.6	2.1×
139	Plzen	CZE	10.6	2.1×
140	Montreal	CAN	10.5	2.1×
141	Cologne	DEU	10.5	2.1×
142	Frankfurt am Main	DEU	10.5	2.1×
143	Pardubice	CZE	10.5	2.1×
144	Phuket	THA	10.4	2.1×
145	Cartagena	COL	10.3	2.1×
146	Chicago	USA	10.3	2.1×
147	Liberec	CZE	10.3	2.1×
148	Quito	ECU	10.2	2.0×
149	Madrid	ESP	10.2	2.0×
150	Fortaleza	BRA	10.1	2.0×
151	Constanta	ROU	10.1	2.0×
152	Miami	USA	10.1	2.0×
153	Meknes	MAR	10.1	2.0×
154	Hamburg	DEU	10.1	2.0×
155	Valencia	ESP	10.1	2.0×
156	Minsk	BLR	10.1	2.0×
157	London	GBR	10.0	2.0×
158	San Miguel de Tucumán	ARG	9.9	2.0×
159	Kampot	KHM	9.9	2.0×
160	Stuttgart	DEU	9.9	2.0×
161	Bilbao	ESP	9.9	2.0×
162	Nashville	USA	9.8	2.0×
163	San Francisco	USA	9.8	2.0×
164	Boston	USA	9.8	2.0×
165	Tangier	MAR	9.7	1.9×
166	Vancouver	CAN	9.7	1.9×
167	Ciudad del Este	PRY	9.7	1.9×
168	Villarrica	PRY	9.7	1.9×
169	Manta	ECU	9.7	1.9×
170	Brest	BLR	9.7	1.9×
171	Florianópolis	BRA	9.6	1.9×
172	Minneapolis	USA	9.6	1.9×
173	Valparaíso	CHL	9.6	1.9×
174	Viña del Mar	CHL	9.6	1.9×
175	Denver	USA	9.5	1.9×
176	Riga	LVA	9.5	1.9×
177	Boca Chica	DOM	9.4	1.9×
178	Encarnación	PRY	9.4	1.9×
179	Munich	DEU	9.4	1.9×
180	Nuremberg	DEU	9.4	1.9×
181	Santa Marta	COL	9.3	1.9×
182	Sapporo	JPN	9.3	1.9×
183	Machala	ECU	9.3	1.9×
184	Dresden	DEU	9.3	1.9×
185	Salvador	BRA	9.2	1.8×
186	Santiago de los Caballeros	DOM	9.2	1.8×
187	Puerto Plata	DOM	9.2	1.8×
188	Manchester	GBR	9.2	1.8×
189	Quebec City	CAN	9.2	1.8×
190	Leipzig	DEU	9.2	1.8×
191	Ceske Budejovice	CZE	9.2	1.8×
192	Davao City	PHL	9.1	1.8×
193	Berlin	DEU	9.1	1.8×
194	Malaga	ESP	9.1	1.8×
195	Austin	USA	9.0	1.8×
196	Calgary	CAN	9.0	1.8×
197	Malindi	KEN	8.8	1.8×
198	Arequipa	PER	8.8	1.8×
199	Tampa	USA	8.7	1.7×
200	Birmingham	GBR	8.7	1.7×
201	Alajuela	CRI	8.7	1.7×
202	Playa del Carmen	MEX	8.6	1.7×
203	Omaha	USA	8.6	1.7×
204	New Orleans	USA	8.6	1.7×
205	Sosúa	DOM	8.6	1.7×
206	Mombasa	KEN	8.5	1.7×
207	Liverpool	GBR	8.5	1.7×
208	La Serena	CHL	8.5	1.7×
209	Alicante	ESP	8.5	1.7×
210	Da Lat	VNM	8.4	1.7×
211	Portoviejo	ECU	8.4	1.7×
212	Colon	PAN	8.4	1.7×
213	Diani Beach	KEN	8.3	1.7×
214	San Pedro de Macorís	DOM	8.3	1.7×
215	Essaouira	MAR	8.3	1.7×
216	Winnipeg	CAN	8.3	1.7×
217	Marbella	ESP	8.3	1.7×
218	Puerto Vallarta	MEX	8.2	1.6×
219	Pedro Juan Caballero	PRY	8.2	1.6×
220	Mogilev	BLR	8.2	1.6×
221	Seattle	USA	8.1	1.6×
222	Palma de Mallorca	ESP	8.1	1.6×
223	Leeds	GBR	8.0	1.6×
224	Daugavpils	LVA	8.0	1.6×
225	Jelgava	LVA	8.0	1.6×
226	Panama City	PAN	8.0	1.6×
227	Buenos Aires	ARG	7.9	1.6×
228	Bristol	GBR	7.9	1.6×
229	San Jose	CRI	7.8	1.6×
230	Heredia	CRI	7.8	1.6×
231	Cartago	CRI	7.8	1.6×
232	Vitebsk	BLR	7.8	1.6×
233	Barysaw	BLR	7.7	1.5×
234	Ottawa	CAN	7.6	1.5×
235	Montevideo	URY	7.6	1.5×
236	Loja	ECU	7.6	1.5×
237	Cardiff	GBR	7.5	1.5×
238	Cebu City	PHL	7.4	1.5×
239	Manado	IDN	7.3	1.5×
240	Glasgow	GBR	7.3	1.5×
241	La Romana	DOM	7.2	1.4×
242	Tamarindo	CRI	7.1	1.4×
243	Cali	COL	7.0	1.4×
244	Riobamba	ECU	7.0	1.4×
245	Limon	CRI	6.7	1.3×
246	Baguio City	PHL	6.6	1.3×
247	Punta del Este	URY	6.6	1.3×
248	Puntarenas	CRI	6.6	1.3×
249	Liepaja	LVA	6.6	1.3×
250	Cusco	PER	6.4	1.3×
251	Portland	USA	6.4	1.3×
252	Jurmala	LVA	6.4	1.3×
253	Iloilo City	PHL	6.3	1.3×
254	Concepción	CHL	6.3	1.3×
255	Victoria	CAN	6.2	1.2×
256	Edinburgh	GBR	6.2	1.2×
257	Temuco	CHL	6.1	1.2×
258	Rosario	ARG	6.0	1.2×
259	Cuenca	ECU	6.0	1.2×
260	Iquique	CHL	5.9	1.2×
261	Mendoza	ARG	5.8	1.2×
262	La Plata	ARG	5.8	1.2×
263	Belfast	GBR	5.7	1.1×
264	Jaco	CRI	5.7	1.1×
265	Córdoba	ARG	5.6	1.1×
266	Rivera	URY	5.6	1.1×
267	Dumaguete	PHL	5.5	1.1×
268	Halifax	CAN	5.4	1.1×
269	Bocas Town	PAN	5.4	1.1×
270	Mar del Plata	ARG	5.3	1.1×
271	Salto	URY	5.3	1.1×
272	Salta	ARG	5.1	1.0×
273	Santiago	PAN	5.1	1.0×
274	Liberia	CRI	5.0	1.0×
275	Ventspils	LVA	5.0	1.0×
276	San Isidro de El General	CRI	4.9	1.0×
277	Colonia del Sacramento	URY	4.8	1.0×
278	Puerto Montt	CHL	4.7	0.9×
279	Paysandú	URY	4.6	0.9×
280	David	PAN	4.2	0.8×
281	Pucón	CHL	4.0	0.8×
282	Boquete	PAN	3.9	0.8×
283	Bariloche	ARG	1.9	0.4×

Annual mean, so it hides seasonality — a city with a severe burning season and clean air the rest of the year lands mid-table.

Where this is wrong

An annual mean hides the season that would actually ruin a trip. Chiang Mai's burning season and Hanoi's winter are averaged away here.
Modelled reanalysis, not a ground station. These come from a global atmospheric model sampled at each city's coordinates, which is consistent across cities but is not the same as a local monitor.
PM2.5 only. Nothing here covers ozone, NO₂, or indoor air.

Sources

Air quality: Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reanalysis, sampled per city via Open-Meteo. Guideline: WHO global air quality guidelines, 2021. Built with Python and matplotlib; the renderer is geomax/viz/chart_suite.py.

Air quality sits alongside cost, safety and the ratio on the research desk.

Filter cities by air quality →

Air is one column among cost, climate and ratio — the trade-off only means something when you can see them together.

The per-market deep-dives — 13 tabs of cost, visa, tax, safety and sub-national ratio for one country — are behind the Pro gate. Everything on this page is not.