Pakistan Air Quality Index (AQI)
Pakistan ranked 2nd most polluted country in the world in the 2024 IQAir World Air Quality Report, with a national average PM2.5 of 67.2 μg/m³ — 13× the WHO guideline.
Lahore regularly holds the title of world's most polluted major city during winter smog season (October–January). Track real-time AQI for 6 major cities.
159
National Avg AQI
2024 annual
67.2 μg/m³
PM2.5 Average
13× WHO limit
#2
Global Rank
most polluted country
34
Cities Measured
IQAir 2024
Most Polluted Cities
Relatively Cleaner Cities
All Major Cities — AQI Rankings
Lahore
Punjab
PM2.5: 80 μg/m³Unhealthy
Winter peak AQI: 400
Faisalabad
Punjab
PM2.5: 72 μg/m³Unhealthy
Winter peak AQI: 360
Multan
Punjab
PM2.5: 68 μg/m³Unhealthy
Winter peak AQI: 340
Peshawar
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
PM2.5: 58 μg/m³Unhealthy (Sensitive)
Winter peak AQI: 280
Karachi
Sindh
PM2.5: 55 μg/m³Unhealthy (Sensitive)
Winter peak AQI: 210
Islamabad
Islamabad Capital Territory
PM2.5: 46 μg/m³Unhealthy (Sensitive)
Winter peak AQI: 220
Pakistan's Air Quality Crisis
The Punjab smog crisis
Every October–January, a perfect storm hits the Punjab plains: post-harvest rice stubble burning releases massive smoke, cold air creates temperature inversions, and weak winds prevent dispersal. Lahore's AQI routinely exceeds 300–500 during these episodes. The Punjab government has declared smog a public health emergency multiple years running.
Brick kilns — an underrated source
Pakistan has over 20,000 brick kilns, most burning a toxic mix of coal, tires, and industrial waste. Traditional Bull's Trench kilns are among the world's dirtiest kilns by PM2.5 output. Conversion to Zigzag kilns (75% cleaner) is slowly underway but progress is slow given economic pressures on kiln owners.
Health burden
Pakistan's State of Global Air report attributes over 200,000 premature deaths per year to outdoor air pollution — one of the highest tolls in the world per capita. Children under 5 and elderly populations bear the heaviest burden, with acute respiratory infections the leading cause of childhood death.
Policy response
The Supreme Court has ordered mandatory school closures when Lahore AQI exceeds 300. Odd-even vehicle restrictions, construction bans, and smog towers have been tried. The root cause — fossil fuel vehicles, industrial coal, and agricultural burning — requires structural economic reform that is slow to materialize.