Pakistan, March 11 -- Only seven countries met the World Health Organization's air quality standards in 2024, according to data from Swiss monitoring firm IQAir. Chad and Bangladesh were the most polluted, with smog levels exceeding WHO limits by more than 15 times. Australia, New Zealand, and a few Caribbean and European nations were the only ones to meet the guidelines. However, data gaps, especially in Asia and Africa, make it hard to get a complete picture of global air pollution.

The situation worsened after the U.S. shut down its global air quality monitoring program due to budget constraints. For over 17 years, U.S. embassies provided crucial pollution data, especially for developing countries. With the program's closure, at least...