Bangladesh has been ranked as the world’s second most air-polluted country, just after India, according to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) 2025 report published by the University of Chicago. The study warns that air pollution is robbing Bangladeshis of an average of 5.5 years of life expectancy.

The report highlights that air quality in Bangladesh is far worse than both the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and the country’s own national standards. Alarmingly, all 166.8 million people in the country live in areas where the air is classified as severely polluted compared to WHO thresholds.

Between 1998 and 2023, the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Bangladesh increased by more than 66%, cutting life expectancy by an additional 2.4 years. Researchers note that the impact of air pollution on public health now exceeds the combined effects of smoking, malnutrition, and unsafe water.

For residents of Dhaka, the situation is particularly dire. If air quality in the capital met WHO standards, the average lifespan of its residents could increase by nearly 6.9 years. Even if only Bangladesh’s national standards were met, Dhaka residents could still gain at least 4 years in life expectancy.

Experts point to brick kilns around Dhaka as one of the city’s long-standing major sources of air pollution, yet effective regulation remains elusive. Adding to the crisis, seasonal smog drifting in from neighboring countries further deteriorates air quality, making the problem not just domestic but regional in scale.