Pollution is a problem that most people in the world experience. It’s an invisible problem that for many years was disregarded for progress. Air quality is something that today many western countries take for granted, after decades of environmental-friendly policies. For Westerners, the effect of polluted air is a distant memory. Whereas big cities in developing nations are suffering the worst of it. Respiratory diseases and deaths attributed to air pollution are sky-high. As they age older, residents of those cities are more at risk to see their life expectancy shorten. For some people, air pollution has become an important reason to relocate, especially if respiratory problems were common in their family.

Every year, at STC we release the World Pollution Index. In 2019, we reviewed 182 world cities. There is a pretty strong demarcation between Emerging countries and Developed ones. Pollution is usually termed in the number of particular matters in the air. PM 10 is particulate matter 10 micrometres or less in diameter, whereas PM 2.5 is particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter. Particulates are the most harmful form of air pollution because they can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstreams unfiltered. That can cause, heart attacks, respiratory disease, and even permanent DNA mutations. The higher the density of these particles, the higher the risk.

 

World’s Most Polluted cities

The most polluted cities in our 2019 Pollution index are located in Africa and Asia. In warm places with large populations.

 

# 1 Luanda, Angola

Luanda has emerged as an economic powerhouse in Africa in the last decade. Its growth rate has been so fast that millions of people flocked into the city for work. This has caused Luanda to become one of the most expensive cities in the world, slowing down its growth.

One of the other well-known effects of Lunda rapid economic growth has been on the air quality.

Lunda is now the most polluted city in the world. With PM10 level is of 332 and PM2.5 is at 182. Numbeo.com gives it the highest pollution mark of 0.9739.

The mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution at 105.8 per 100,000 people according to the WHO.

 

# 2 New Dehli, India

We review 6 Indian cities in our rankings and all of them got low grades. But out of all of them, New Dehli scored well below any other.

PM10 level is of 292 and PM2.5 is at 143. Numbeo.com gives it a high pollution score of 0.9192 through its survey.

India has one of the highest mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution at 133.7 per 100,000 people according to the WHO.

 

# 3 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Another fast-growing African city, Dar es Salaam population doubled in the last 10 years. The former Tanzania capital is a major trading hub for the region. This rapid growth has stretched infrastructures and caused a massive level of pollution. The city scored below 0 in our ranking with PM10 level is of 290 and PM2.5 is at 165. Numbeo.com gives it a pollution score of 0.7495 through its survey.

Tanzania has one of the highest mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution at 51.4 per 100,000 people according to the WHO.

 

World’s Least Polluted cities

It’s easy to see that the size of the city can influence air quality. Our top picks are in small cities mainly in Europe. Canda and Australia feature predominantly towards the top also. You also find small Caribbean jurisdictions offering a piece of paradise with clean air.

#1 Douglas, The Isle of Man, United Kingdom

 

The capital of the Isle of Man has ranked first in our ranking in 2019. The self-governing British Crown dependency is located between Britan and Ireland. The Isle has been particularly popular with wealthy people due to significantly lower tax rates. Interestingly, you can use the UK Tier 1 Investor or Entrepreneur program if you wish to move there.

The city scored the highest mark of 0.98 in our ranking with PM10 level is of 7 and PM2.5 is at 5. Numbeo.com gives it a pollution score of 0.1011 through its survey.

 

#2 Basseterre, St Kitts& Nevis

St Kitts & Nevis scored the best air quality score of all other Carribean nations in our City Pollution Index. It must be said that the WHO doesn’t publish air quality for many of these small islands, so some data had to be estimated. Nevertheless, St Kitts & Nevis is known for its great air quality, it’s warm climate and its beautiful sandy beaches. Saint Kitts and Nevis have also become famous for being the first country to offer citizenship by investment. That’s right, you can get become a citizen of St Kitts is just 3 months and travel visa-free in Europe. You can either buy a property or donate 100,000 USD to a government fund (more with fees and family members). The jurisdiction has also become particularly popular with High Net Worth Individuals from around the world because it doesn’t levy any income tax.

The city equalled the highest mark of 0.98 in our ranking with PM10 level is of 9 and PM2.5 is at 0. Numbeo.com gives it a pollution score of 0.3 through its survey.

 

#3 Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Perched between Austria and Switzerland, Liechtenstein is one of the world’s richest in term of GDP per Capita. A Financial hug in the region, its tax benefit has made it a popular destination for German-speaking business people. Vaduz is a small city in a small country. To give an idea of how small, second largest city is Schaan which is basically connected to Vaduz. The country might be small but its regarded as one of the best places to live in Europe and one of the safest town in the world. It’s also the least polluted capital in Europe with a score of 0.96 in our pollution ranking with PM10 level is of 9 and PM2.5 is at 7. Numbeo.com gives it a pollution score of 0.1 through its survey.

“Our purpose is to provide information, so feel free to contact us if you need more. If you need professional help, let us know, and we will direct you toward a trusted expert in your area.”

 

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