Central Asia’s Air Pollution Crisis Deepened Sharply in 2025

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are among the top 10 countries in the world with the poorest air quality, according to the findings published by a Swiss research firm. More broadly, Central Asia experienced a sharp increase in pollution in 2025. According to IQAir’s World Air Quality Report for 2025, the air in Tajikistan contained an average of 57.3 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic meter (µg/m³), an amount 11.5 times higher than the World Health Organization’s guidelines for acceptable air qua...