Global Air Quality Update - Week of October 19, 2026

Live data snapshot for October 19, 2026. 217 cities tracked. Global average AQI: 78.

This week's most polluted city is Lahore, Pakistan at AQI 198. The cleanest air right now is in Christchurch, New Zealand at AQI 12.

Biggest changes this week

Worsening

• Stockholm, Sweden: 15 → 24 AQI (+9)
• Copenhagen, Denmark: 19 → 28 AQI (+9)
• Melbourne, Australia: 24 → 32 AQI (+8)
• Tallinn, Estonia: 19 → 26 AQI (+7)
• Calgary, Canada: 19 → 24 AQI (+5)

Improving

• Beijing, China: 228 → 142 AQI (-86)
• Kolkata, India: 178 → 142 AQI (-36)
• Hanoi, Vietnam: 164 → 138 AQI (-26)
• Dhaka, Bangladesh: 203 → 182 AQI (-21)
• Wellington, New Zealand: 27 → 14 AQI (-13)

Global average shifted from 75 to 78 (+3).

Top 10 most polluted cities right now

1. Lahore, Pakistan - AQI 198 (PM2.5 92.4 μg/m³)
2. Kabul, Afghanistan - AQI 188 (PM2.5 88.2 μg/m³)
3. Dhaka, Bangladesh - AQI 182 (PM2.5 84.3 μg/m³)
4. Faisalabad, Pakistan - AQI 172 (PM2.5 76.2 μg/m³)
5. Delhi, India - AQI 168 (PM2.5 72.4 μg/m³)
6. Cairo, Egypt - AQI 162 (PM2.5 68.2 μg/m³)
7. Kanpur, India - AQI 162 (PM2.5 68.4 μg/m³)
8. Kathmandu, Nepal - AQI 158 (PM2.5 66.4 μg/m³)
9. Karachi, Pakistan - AQI 154 (PM2.5 62.1 μg/m³)
10. Tehran, Iran - AQI 148 (PM2.5 56.3 μg/m³)

Top 10 cleanest cities right now

1. Christchurch, New Zealand - AQI 12 (PM2.5 3.4 μg/m³)
2. Wellington, New Zealand - AQI 14 (PM2.5 3.2 μg/m³)
3. Auckland, New Zealand - AQI 18 (PM2.5 4.1 μg/m³)
4. Helsinki, Finland - AQI 20 (PM2.5 4.4 μg/m³)
5. Adelaide, Australia - AQI 20 (PM2.5 4.4 μg/m³)
6. Oslo, Norway - AQI 22 (PM2.5 4.2 μg/m³)
7. Perth, Australia - AQI 22 (PM2.5 4.2 μg/m³)
8. Stockholm, Sweden - AQI 24 (PM2.5 5.4 μg/m³)
9. Calgary, Canada - AQI 24 (PM2.5 5.4 μg/m³)
10. Brisbane, Australia - AQI 24 (PM2.5 5.4 μg/m³)

What is AQI?

AQI (Air Quality Index) is a 0-500 scale used by the US EPA. Below 50 is good, above 150 unhealthy, above 300 hazardous. Most damage comes from PM2.5 - fine particles that enter the bloodstream. Learn more: PM2.5 explained.

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Data: live readings refreshed every 30 minutes by atmos.today. See methodology and attribution.