World
Bahrain, Iraq Among Middle East Nations in Top 10 for Air Pollution
Middle East nations made up four of the 10 most air-polluted countries last year, an annual study has found.
Behind only Chad, Iraq had the highest concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5) adjusted for population weighting, followed by Pakistan in third. Bahrain came fourth after being eighth in 2021.
Of the six major pollutants used to classify air quality, PM2.5 is considered the most harmful. WHO recommends annual concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed an average of 5 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³).
Iraq’s annual reading for last year was 80.1 µg/m3, and Bahrain’s was 66.6 µg/m3. Kuwait’s was 55.8 µg/m3, Egypt had 46.5 µg/m3 and the UAE 45.9.
