Carmona, Calamba among least air-polluted cities in Southeast Asia — IQAir

Metro Manila, Philippines - Carmona in Cavite and Calamba in Laguna are among the top 10 cities in Southeast Asia with less air pollution in 2024, IQAir’s annual global ranking revealed on Tuesday, March 11.

Swiss company IQAir ranks participating countries via its record of fine particulate matter or PM2.5 — one of the smallest but most dangerous pollutants that comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, dust storms, and wildfires, among others.

The lower score indicates the least polluted ranking.

IQAir’s 2024 report placed Carmona in the top 3 least polluted regional cities in Southeast Asia, trailing Kapit, Malaysia and VTra Vinh, Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Calamba was in 10th place.

The Philippines maintained its 74th spot among 138 nations with a 14.5 overall score for 2024, a notch lower from 2023. Manila was ranked 50 among 121 regional capital cities in the list with a 17.4 score.

Central Africa’s Chad was the most polluted followed by Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The least polluted were the Bahamas, Bermuda, and French Polynesia.