On a late August morning, Dhaka's air settled into a reading of 87 on the global air quality index — moderate by technical classification, yet significant enough to place the city 18th among the world's most polluted urban centers. South Asian and Southeast Asian cities dominate this ranking, a quiet testament to the uneven burdens that industrialization, geography, and climate impose on densely populated regions. Behind each number lies a human reality: the World Health Organization estimates that air pollution claims seven million lives annually, deaths that accumulate not in dramatic moment
Dhaka ranks 18th globally in air pollution; AQI hits 87
Air pollution contributes to approximately 7 million deaths globally annually, primarily from stroke, heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.