The most polluted cities of Southeast Asia in January 2025 – where is the standard of air?

Air pollution stays the fundamental challenge in Southeast Asia, affecting public health and general quality of life. Factors corresponding to vehicle emissions, industrial activity and land burning still worsen air quality throughout the region.

The latest IQair report, a Swiss technology company that monitors global air quality, reveals essentially the most polluted cities in Southeast Asia as of January 31, 2025. Using the air quality index (AQI), the report assesses the degrees of pollution on a rock scale from 0 to 500 – The higher the worth, the more serious the air quality in town.

According to those data, air quality in several cities of Southeast Asia has achieved levels that pose significant health threats. The AQI American system categorizes the degrees of pollution using a color coded scale, from green (good) to brown (dangerous) to point the health hazards related to them.

Here are six AQI categories and their appropriate level of risk:

• Green (0-50): Good
• Yellow (51-100): Moderate
• Orange (101-150): Unhealthy for sensitive groups
• Red (151-200): Unhealthy
• Purple (201-300): Very unhealthy, serious health effects
• Brown (301-500): Dangerous, serious threats to everyone

Below are 10 most polluted cities in Southeast AsiaBased on IQAIR data on January 31, 2025: