25 Least Polluted Cities and Countries in the World (2023 Rankings)

Air pollution is one of the leading causes of death around the world. Therefore you may be curious: where is the cleanest air in the world? And what country has the best air quality? Smart Air analyzed 2022 air pollution data from 533 major cities spanning 88 countries in the world to create the 2023 ranking of the “25 Least Polluted Cities in the World” to find cleanest city in the world.

Rankings: 25 Least Polluted Cities in the World

The rankings for best air quality in the world are based on PM2.5 air pollution data from the 12 months prior to the publication date.

WATCH: Top 5 Least Polluted Cities

Top 5 Least Polluted Cities in the World (2022 Rankings)

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Read on for the full list of 25 cities with the best air quality in the world and an analysis of what this data means.


1. Zürich, Switzerland (0.49 µg/m3)

Zürich city ranked number 1 least polluted city in the world

2. Perth, Australia (1.61 µg/m3)

Perth city ranked number 2 least polluted city in the world

3. Richards Bay, South Africa (2.38 µg/m3)

Richards Bay city ranked number 3 least polluted city in the world

4. Hobart, Australia (2.55 µg/m3)

Hobart Australia one of least polluted cities in the world

5. Reykjavík, Iceland (3.38 µg/m3)

Rekjavik Iceland one of least polluted cities in the world

6. Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine (3.42 µg/m3)

Kryvyi Rih city ranked number 7 least polluted city in the world

7. Launceston, Australia (3.51 µg/m3)

Launceston, Australia, one of least polluted cities in the world

8. Wollongong, Australia (3.70 µg/m3)

Wollongong, Australia, one of least polluted cities in the world

9. Sydney, Australia (3.85 µg/m3)

Sydney, Australia, one of least polluted cities in the world

10. Honolulu, United States (3.91 µg/m3)

Honolulu, US, one of least polluted cities in the world

11. Uppsala, Sweden (4.07 µg/m3)

Upsala, Sweden, one of least polluted cities in the world

12. Turku, Finland (4.17 µg/m3)

Turku, Finland, one of least polluted cities in the world

13. Haiphong, Vietnam (4.28 µg/m3)

Haiphong city ranked number 13 least polluted city in the world

14. Huế, Vietnam (4.32 µg/m3)

Huế city ranked number 14 least polluted city in the world

15. Tampere, Finland (4.38 µg/m3)

Tampere, Finland, one of least polluted cities in the world

16. Newcastle, Australia (4.46 µg/m3)

Newcastle, Australia, one of least polluted cities in the world

17. Adelaide, Australia (4.49 µg/m3)

Adelaide, Australia, one of least polluted cities in the world

18. Tallinn, Estonia (4.57 µg/m3)

Tallinn city ranked number 1 least polluted city in the world

19. Halifax, Canada (4.68 µg/m3)

Halifax, Canada, one of least polluted cities in the world

20. Vancouver, Canada (4.69 µg/m3)

Vancouver Canada one of least polluted cities in the world

21. Ternópil, Ukraine (4.77 µg/m3)

Ternópil city ranked number 21 least polluted city in the world

22. Oulu, Finland (4.80 µg/m3)

Oulu, Finland, one of least polluted cities in the world

23. Castellón de la Plana, Spain (4.82 µg/m3)

Castellón de la Plana, Spain, one of least polluted cities in the world

24. Trondheim, Norway (4.85 µg/m3)

Trondheim, Norway, one of least polluted cities in the world

25. Stockholm, Sweden (5.00 µg/m3)

Stockholm, Sweden , one of least polluted cities in the world

Read More: The 25 Most Polluted Cities of 2023?

What is the Least Polluted Country in the World?

Australia topped the list as the least polluted country in the world, with 7 cities in the top 25. Of the 25 least polluted cities in the world with the best air quality, Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Estonia) dominated the rankings with some of the cleanest air in the world in 2022.

15 out of the 25 cities with the best and cleanest air were either in Nordic countries or Australia. Zürich, Switzerland once again ranked as the least polluted city in the world. Australia and Finland were the only countries having at least 3 cities ranking in the top 25 least polluted cities in the world.

There is research that even little amounts of pollution such as those typically present in these least polluted cities can have an impact on health.

Below is a pollution heat map from the WHO. WHO research shows that over 99% of people in the world are breathing unsafe air with high air pollution levels.

Global Air Pollution Map
Image: WHO

How Air Pollution Was Measured to Find Least Polluted Cities in World

The above rankings of the 2023 least polluted cities in the world were ranked based on their average PM2.5 pollution levels from the 12 months prior to the publication date. 

These small pollutants are under 2.5 micrograms in width and are considered to be one of the more dangerous pollutants due to their ability to enter deep into the lungs and bloodstream.

Open Data

The PM2.5 AQI 2022 world pollution data used for the rankings of the world’s worst polluted cities are openly available in this excel file. To download the complete raw data visit https://aqicn.org/data-platform/covid19/.


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8 thoughts on “25 Least Polluted Cities and Countries in the World (2023 Rankings)”

  1. I wouldn’t say Northern Europe has clean air at all, pollution from other areas of Europe drifts north, every time I visit Europe I am shocked at how smoggy a lot of places are, from Paris to Athens. It is seen as normal and it’s quite embarrassing that Europe then has the gall to chide other regions for their air pollution.

    Reply
  2. Hey!! im doing a report on air pollution for my university module. Please can i get your permission to reference these findings?? It would be so helpful! Thankyou!

    Reply
    • Hi Patrick! Song here. Feel free to refer to the findings and also the original data source with proper citation and non-commercial purpose. So thrilled that you can help us disseminate the clean air!

      Reply
  3. I hope you are smarter about your air cleaners than you are about this list. Your #1. city on your list, Zurich, Switzerland is the same picture as the #10 city on your list, Bergen, Norway.

    Reply

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