Bangladesh continues to face one of the world’s worst air pollution crises, with Dhaka repeatedly ranking among the globe’s most polluted cities even as the pre-monsoon season brings scattered rainfall to parts of the country.
Despite occasional showers offering temporary relief, pollution levels in the capital have remained consistently hazardous this month, exposing millions to serious health risks and mounting economic losses.
According to Switzerland-based air quality monitoring platform IQAir, Bangladesh remained among the world’s most polluted countries in 2025, while Dhaka’s annual PM2.5 concentration exceeded the World Health Organization guideline by more than 13 times.
The World Health Organization recommends annual average PM2.5 concentrations remain below 5 micrograms per cubic metre.
However, pollution levels in Dhaka frequently rise to 10 to 20 times above that limit, placing the city among the world’s most polluted urban centres for much of the year.
From May 1 to May 14, Dhaka repeatedly appeared on IQAir’s list of the world’s most polluted cities.
On May 12, the capital ranked first globally with an Air Quality Index score of 193, categorized as “unhealthy.”
Earlier this month, Dhaka also remained among the world’s 10 most polluted cities during a prolonged dry spell that trapped dust and pollutants across the city.
Environmental experts say the worsening crisis is being driven by a combination of unchecked construction dust, smoke from brick kilns, industrial emissions, outdated vehicles and pollution drifting into Bangladesh from the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
The health consequences are becoming increasingly severe.
According to the World Bank, air pollution caused more than 159,000 premature deaths in Bangladesh in 2019 alone.
Nearly 55% of all premature deaths linked to environmental risks in the country were attributed to polluted air, making it the single largest environmental cause of death nationwide.
Health experts warn that long-term exposure to polluted air significantly increases the risk of lung cancer, stroke, heart disease and chronic respiratory illnesses, while children, elderly people and low-income communities remain particularly vulnerable.
The economic costs are also rising sharply.
The World Bank estimated that the combined health and productivity losses caused by pollution amount to around 8.3% of Bangladesh’s GDP due to healthcare expenses, lost labor income and reduced productivity.
Globally, air pollution remains one of the world’s deadliest environmental health threats, contributing to an estimated 6 to 8 million premature deaths annually, according to assessments by the WHO and the Global Burden of Disease study.
International estimates suggest overall welfare losses linked to air pollution now exceed US$5 trillion every year worldwide.
Experts say Bangladesh’s worsening pollution crisis reflects both rapid urbanization and weak environmental enforcement, warning that without stricter regulation of emissions, cleaner transport systems and stronger monitoring, Dhaka’s air quality could deteriorate even further in coming years.
