Introduction

In 2023 Bangladesh was ranked the most polluted country in the world, with an average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) of 79.9 µg/m³ in IQAir’s monitoring data — around 16 times the World Health Organization’s guideline.1

Fine particles are less than 2.5 thousandths of a millimetre across, small enough to pass deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream. Long-term exposure raises the risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic lung disease and respiratory infections in children.

4.8 years

The average Bangladeshi’s life expectancy is cut by about 4.8 years by fine particle pollution compared with air that meets the WHO guideline, according to the Air Quality Life Index.

Far above every threshold, for decades

Bangladesh breathes air far above every safety threshold
Mean annual exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), µg/m³, 2000–2023
Source: World Bank WDI (EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3); WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (2021); Bangladesh Air Pollution Control Rules (2022)

World Bank estimates of average population exposure have hovered between about 63 and 79 µg/m³ for more than two decades.2 That is roughly twice Bangladesh’s own national standard of 35 µg/m³ and over ten times the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, which was tightened in 2021.34 Unlike in China, where concentrations have fallen sharply since 2013, there is no sustained downward trend.

Pollution is also strongly seasonal. During the dry winter months, when there is little rain to wash particles out of the air and brick kilns are in full production, daily concentrations in Dhaka regularly reach many times the annual average.

What it costs in lives

The University of Chicago’s Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) converts pollution into lost life expectancy. In its 2024 edition, fine particle pollution reduced the average Bangladeshi’s life expectancy by 4.8 years relative to meeting the WHO guideline. Residents of Dhaka district would gain 5.6 years; in Gazipur and Narsingdi, the loss exceeds 6 years.5 AQLI’s 2025 update raised the national figure to 5.5 years.6

Simply meeting Bangladesh’s own national standard would add 2.6 years to life expectancy in Dhaka and 2.3 years in Chattogram.5

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) estimates that air pollution causes 102,456 deaths a year in Bangladesh, including 5,258 children who die from lower respiratory infections linked to PM2.5. Almost half of these deaths (48%) occur in Dhaka and Chattogram.7

Where the pollution comes from

The main local sources are well known: brick kilns, vehicle exhaust (especially from old diesel engines), construction and road dust, open burning of waste, and industrial emissions. Household cooking with wood, dung and crop residues adds indoor pollution in rural homes.

A large share also crosses borders. The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a single airshed, and in winter, prevailing winds carry pollution from northern India into Bangladesh. National action alone cannot bring concentrations down to WHO levels — regional cooperation is needed.

What would make a difference

  • Cleaner brick-making: replacing traditional fixed-chimney kilns with cleaner technologies and promoting alternative building blocks.
  • Vehicle standards and enforcement for diesel emissions, plus better public transport in Dhaka and Chattogram.
  • Dust control at construction sites and on roads, which is cheap and fast to implement.
  • Monitoring and public alerts so people can protect themselves on the worst days.
  • Regional agreements across South Asia to manage pollution that crosses borders.

Endnotes

  1. IQAir, World Air Quality Report 2023; as cited by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), “Air pollution kills 102,456 Bangladeshis every year” (18 January 2025). ↩

  2. World Bank, World Development Indicators, “PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure” (EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3). ↩

  3. World Health Organization, WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (2021). ↩

  4. Government of Bangladesh, Air Pollution Control Rules (2022), annual PM2.5 standard of 35 µg/m³. ↩

  5. Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, Air Quality Life Index — Bangladesh fact sheet (2024). ↩ ↩2

  6. Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, Air Quality Life Index — Annual Update (2025), as reported by Arab News, “Bangladeshis lose 5.5 years of life to world’s most polluted air.” ↩

  7. Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), as reported by EPIC (18 January 2025). ↩