Air pollution is shaving 5.5 years off the average Bangladeshi’s life, making it the country’s greatest external health threat, according to the 2025 Air Quality Life Index released Thursday by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.
In Dhaka, residents could gain 6.9 years if air quality met World Health Organization guidelines, while Chittagong residents could gain 6.2 years.
Pollution in Bangladesh is 12.2 times higher than WHO’s safe level and 2.5 times the global average, ranking the nation among the world’s 10 most polluted.
All 166.8 million residents are affected.