This cartogram depicts the amount of air pollution in some of the featured countries. The cartogram is presented based on the population of each area that is exposed to low or high pollution levels.
The most polluted countries all come from Asia and Africa. Citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Visual Capitalist notes that Nepal has the worst air quality in the world. The South Asian nation recorded an air quality concentration of 94.33 micrograms per cubic meter, more than nine times higher than the level the WHO recommends.
On the other hand, the least polluted countries are mostly from Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. New Zealand has the world’s cleanest air, at just a low 5.73 micrograms per cubic meter of air concentration.
These books help us understand air pollution and how to manage it:
- Clearing the Air
- Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution
- Governing the Urban in China and India: Land Grabs, Slum Clearance, and the War on Air Pollution (Princeton Studies in Contemporary China)
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