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Chad ranked as Africa’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the latest global ranking report by IQAir, Swiss-based air quality technology firm.
IQAir released its 8th annual World Air Quality Report on March 24, 2026, offering a comprehensive analysis of global air pollution data from 2025 and highlighting persistent health risks, emerging regional trends and critical monitoring gaps worldwide.
The report highlighted that Chad is the fourth most polluted country globally in 2025, following Pakistan, Bangladesh and Tajikistan, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 53.6 micrograms per cubic meter. This level is more than 10 times the World Health Organization’s recommended safe threshold.
Located along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, Chad faces mounting climate pressures. Air pollution is a major environmental concern. Mineral dust from the Sahara is the country’s dominant source of airborne particles, making Chad one of the most dust-exposed regions in the world.
A significant share of this dust originates from the Bodele Depression in northern Chad, a dry prehistoric lakebed considered one of the most active dust-producing regions on Earth.
While desert dust dominates the country’s air pollution profile, human activities also contribute to declining air quality. Urban vehicle emissions, crop burning, industrial activity and widespread use of biomass fuels such as firewood and charcoal for cooking all add to the air pollution burden, affecting both climate and public health.
The Bodele Depression in Chad is the largest single source of dust on Earth because of a combination of strong near surface winds and a large reservoir of readily eroded and easily entrained, low density sediment.
The 2025 IQAir World Air Quality Report provides a comprehensive overview of air quality across the globe for the calendar year 2025. This Report presents PM2.5 air quality data sourced from 9,446 cities spanning 143 countries, regions, and territories. The information is sourced from more than 40,000 regulatory monitoring stations and low-cost sensors, managed by a wide array of contributors, including government agencies, universities, non-profit organisations, private enterprises, and engaged citizen scientists around the world.
PM2.5 concentrations are reported in micrograms per cubic meter, following the World Health Organization (WHO) annual PM2.5 air quality guideline and interim targets.
Last year’s World Air Quality Report incorporated data from 8,954 cities in 138 countries, regions, and territories. The current Report expanded to cover 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions, and territories. An increase in 2025 data contributions from West Asia, notably the inclusion of Iran, Syria, and Jordan, resulted in a 33 per cent increase in the number of cities covered. While this region remains the least represented and has been historically under monitored, this growth marks a critical step toward closing global data gaps. Notably, Burundi, Turkmenistan, and Togo—all of which ranked among the top 30 most polluted countries in 2024—are absent from this year’s Report due to a lack of available data.
According to the report, the Democratic Republic of Congo ranked as the fifth most polluted country globally in 2025, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 50.2 micrograms per cubic meter.
Globally, just 13 countries, regions, and territories saw annual average PM2.5 concentrations meeting the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 micrograms per cubic meter, with the majority located in the Latin America and Caribbean region, the report notes.
The report also highlights that Nieuwoudtville, South Africa was the world’s cleanest city, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 1.0 micrograms per cubic meter.
“Air quality is a fragile asset that requires active stewardship to protect public health. The 2025 World Air Quality Report makes clear that without monitoring, we cannot fully understand what’s in the air we breathe. Expanding access to real-time data empowers communities to act. By reducing emissions and addressing climate change, we can drive meaningful, lasting improvements in global air quality,” said IQAir Global CEO Frank Hammes.