Lahore Declared Worlds Most Polluted City with an AQI of 530
Lahore has been named the most polluted city globally, with an alarming AQI of 530, raising concerns about air quality and health risks.
Lahore, November 2 (Daily Kiran) : Lahore has been named the most polluted city in the world, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching a staggering 530 on November 2, 2026. The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air soared to 343 micrograms per cubic meter, posing serious health risks to the city’s residents.
According to IQAir’s global ranking, which was recorded between 9 AM and 10 AM, Cairo followed Lahore with an AQI of 226. Other cities in Pakistan’s Punjab province, including Gujranwala (475), Faisalabad (435), Multan (280), and Sialkot (241), also ranked among the most polluted urban centers in the country. Bahawalpur, also in Punjab, had an AQI of 180, placing it seventh.
The alarming drop in air quality is attributed to a surge in agricultural stubble burning in the region. A report by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI) highlights that air pollution reduces life expectancy in Pakistan by approximately 3.9 years and contributes to around 128,000 premature deaths annually. Furthermore, it places a 6.5 percent economic burden on the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with prolonged exposure to polluted air in Lahore potentially decreasing life expectancy by up to seven years.
The report titled “Unveiling Pakistan Air Pollution: A National Landscape Report on Health Risks, Sources, and Solutions” presents a systematic and multi-sectoral emissions inventory for the first time. It analyzes air quality across various cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Peshawar, identifying major sources of emissions and outlining measures to reduce them by up to 50 percent.
The Express Tribune reports that the assessment includes key pollutants such as carbon dioxide, PM2.5, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide, providing a detailed analysis of emissions across four urban airsheds. In Lahore, the annual average level of PM2.5 exceeds 110 micrograms per cubic meter, which is more than 22 times the World Health Organization’s annual guideline of five micrograms per cubic meter. Prolonged exposure to such pollution levels could lead to a significant reduction in life expectancy for the city’s inhabitants.
The primary source of PM2.5 emissions in Lahore is transportation, followed by industrial contributions at 28 percent and brick kilns at 17 percent. These factors exacerbate the city’s particulate pollution, especially during the winter months when air quality tends to worsen.
