It turns out there are only seven countries in the entire world that have safe air quality and three of them are in Europe.
This is according to a report into pollution levels in the air in 2023.
And it turns out that of the 134 locations studied, a whopping 124 were found to be in breach of safe levels of fine particle level, according to guidelines by the World Health Organization (WHO).
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The data was collected by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology firm which conducted the World Air Quality report.
And some shocking statistics have since come to light.
Fine particle matter, which is also known as PM2.5, is considered to be any particles that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter.
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They can cause serious health risks and have even been linked to an increased chance of asthma, high blood pressure and lung disease.
In 2023, just seven countries met the safety guidelines of having five micrograms per cubic metre of air or less.
These countries are Austria, Iceland, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Mauritius and New Zealand.
Although not countries, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, and French Polynesia were also found to be within safe levels.
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Frank Hammes, who is the Global CEO of IQAir spoke to Euronews, saying: “A clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a universal human right. “In many parts of the world, the lack of air quality data delays decisive action and perpetuates unnecessary human suffering.
“Air quality data saves lives. Where air quality is reported, action is taken, and air quality improves.
“In 2023, air pollution remained a global health catastrophe. IQAir’s global data set provides an important reminder of the resulting injustices and the need to implement the many solutions that exist to this problem.”
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It turns out that Iceland has the cleanest air in Europe, with Estonia coming in second place, followed by Finland.
On the other hand, some of the countries that have the worst air quality on the planet include the likes of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and Burkina Faso.
People were shocked by the results, with many taking to social media to share their reactions.
On Reddit, one user wrote: “I'm from Estonia and dated a guy from Germany. He had many allergies and basically never could breathe through his nose in Germany. Every time he came to visit me in Estonia, he could breathe through his nose.”
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Another asked: “So, basically sparsely populated countries with barely anyone in them?”
And a third user explained: “While it may seem like a logical argument it is not exactly true at all times although in some cases of course it may have an effect.
“In example, Mauritius and Grenada with clean air have quite a high population density - 657 and 366 by km2. At the same time some of the top polluted places like Tajikistan and Burkina Faso have rather low population density - 72 and 86 by km2.
“Also, many places that have generally low population have rather high population density in their capitals where usually these measurements have been taken.”