The top 10 worst cities with the most polluted air, 2016

What’s the world’s most polluted city? Well, it isn’t Beijing or Delhi — the actual city with the most polluted air is in Iran. The Iranian city of Zabol comes out on top, according to the new data released by World Health Organisation (WHO). India’s capital, comes 11th in this ranking, while Beijing, the Chinese capital, is far down the list at 57.

Zabol is followed by two Indian cities, Gwalior and Allahabad, while Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh (3rd) and Al Jubail, ranked 4th in the database. Zabol had an average daily PM2.5 reading of 217; Gwalior’s was 176. India had 4 cities in the top 10 worst cities with air pollution.

WHO’s guidelines call for no more than 10 micrograms of PM 2.5 per cubic meter. Below, a look at the 10 cities with the most polluted air, along with their yearly average PM 2.5 levels:

1 Zabol, Iran – 217
2 Gwalior, India – 176

3 Allahabad, India – 170
4 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – 156

5 Jubail, Saudi Arabia – 152
6 Patna, India – 149

7 Raipur, India – 144
8 Bamenda, Cameroon – 132

9 Xingtai, China – 128
10 Baoding, China – 126