Dhaka, the overcrowded capital of Bangladesh, ranked 61st on the list of cities with the worst air quality on Monday morning, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 55 at 9:10am.

According to the AQI index, the city’s air was classified as “moderate,” indicating a light health threat. The air quality had been marked as “good” over the weekend but deteriorated to “moderate” on Monday.

An AQI reading between 50 and 100 is considered moderate, meaning sensitive individuals should limit prolonged outdoor activity. Readings of 101–150 are “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” 150–200 “unhealthy,” 201–300 “very unhealthy,” and 301+ “hazardous.”

Israel’s Jerusalem topped Monday’s global list with an AQI of 232, followed by Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (177) and Baghdad, Iraq (177).

The AQI measures five pollutants—PM10, PM2.5, NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone—to indicate how clean or polluted the air is and the potential health impacts.

Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution, which typically worsens in winter and improves during the monsoon. The World Health Organization estimates air pollution causes seven million deaths globally each year, primarily from heart disease, stroke, chronic respiratory illnesses, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.

MN/