Archive · 29 Jun 2025
Real-Time: Top 10 Most Polluted Cities in 2025
Imagine the air around you isn't clean, like there's lots of tiny bits of dirt you can't see.
Some cities have much dirtier air than others.
Real-time data from IQAir shows the cities with the dirtiest air right now in 2025.
The city with the worst air is Lahore, Pakistan.
In 2021, dirty air caused many people to get sick and even die.
The company that provides this information, IQAir, also creates products to help clean the air and was founded many years ago.
Real-time data from IQAir shows the top 10 most polluted cities in the world in 2025.
Lahore, Pakistan, has the worst AQI with a reading of 163.
The 2024 World Air Quality Report highlighted Central and South Asia as having the most polluted cities.
The IQAir report revealed that air pollution caused approximately 8.1 million deaths globally in 2021.
IQAir is a Swiss air quality technology company founded in 1963.
- Who
- IQAir, an air quality technology company, provides the data. Also, those affected by air pollution.
- What
- IQAir's real-time data on the most polluted cities in the world.
- When
- As of real-time data in 2025 and with data from 2021 and 2024 reports.
- Where
- Globally, with the top 10 most polluted cities listed including Lahore, Pakistan and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Why
- To show current and historical levels of air pollution and its impact.
- IQAir Foundation
- Founded in 1963
- 2021 Global Deaths Due to Air Pollution
- Approximately 8.1 million
- Top Polluted City (Real-time 2025)
- Lahore, Pakistan
- PM2.5 Guidelines Exceeded (2024 Report)
- 91.3%
- Children Under 5 Deaths (2021)
- 700,000
- IQAir's Focus
- Air quality monitoring and cleaning