Kampala tops list of world's most polluted cities

Kampala, Uganda, recorded the highest levels of air pollution among analyzed cities, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 185. Other cities with high pollution levels included Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (188), Jakarta, Indonesia (149), Kuching, Malaysia (161), and Manama, Bahrain (156).

Dhaka, Bangladesh, ranked 15th on the list with an AQI of 95, placing its air quality in the 'moderate' category. This level poses minor health concerns for sensitive groups, such as the elderly or those with asthma and heart disease.

The AQI is calculated based on five main pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and ozone. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is linked to approximately 7 million deaths annually worldwide, primarily due to strokes, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.