What is the cleanest city in the world by air quality?

Longyearbyen, Svalbard (Norway) ranks as the world's cleanest monitored city with a composite US AQI of 8 and PM2.5 of just 1.9 µg/m³ — well below the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³. Other top contenders include Whitehorse (Canada), Yellowknife (Canada), and remote Pacific island capitals.

What does AQI mean and how is it calculated?

The US AQI (Air Quality Index) converts measured pollutant concentrations into a 0–500 scale. 0–50 is Good (green), 51–100 is Moderate, 101–150 is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 151–200 is Unhealthy, and higher values are Very Unhealthy or Hazardous. This site uses a composite AQI calculated as the maximum AQI across PM2.5, PM10, NO2, ozone and CO for each city.

Which continent has the cleanest air overall?

Oceania and North America consistently rank as the continents with the cleanest air quality. Remote Pacific island nations (Palau, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Micronesia) record some of the lowest PM2.5 concentrations on Earth. In North America, cities in Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories lead the global rankings.

What is a good PM2.5 level to live in?

The WHO 2021 annual guideline for PM2.5 is 5 µg/m³. Cities below this threshold offer the healthiest long-term air for residents. A US AQI of 0–50 (PM2.5 below 9 µg/m³) is classified as Good. For comparison, many European and North American cities with Good AQI average 5–15 µg/m³, while polluted Asian cities can exceed 50–100 µg/m³ annually.

World's Cleanest Cities 2026 — Global Air Quality Rankings by AQI

Name: World's Cleanest Cities Air Quality Dataset 2026
Creator: World's Cleanest Cities
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

World's Cleanest Cities — Global Air Quality Rankings 2026

World's 50 Cleanest Cities by Air Quality (AQI)

#	City	Continent	AQI	PM2.5
1	Longyearbyen, Svalbard	Europe	AQI 8	PM2.5 1.9 µg/m³
2	Charleston WV, United States of America	North America	AQI 9	PM2.5 2.21 µg/m³
3	West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Oceania	AQI 10	PM2.5 2.4 µg/m³
4	Georgetown, Ascension Island	Africa & Middle East	AQI 11	PM2.5 2.6 µg/m³
5	Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island	Oceania	AQI 11	PM2.5 2.6 µg/m³
6	Hanga Roa, Easter Island	South America	AQI 11	PM2.5 2.6 µg/m³
7	Kingston, Norfolk Island	Oceania	AQI 12	PM2.5 2.9 µg/m³
8	Mata-Utu, Wallis and Futuna	Oceania	AQI 12	PM2.5 2.9 µg/m³
9	Jamestown, Saint Helena	Africa & Middle East	AQI 13	PM2.5 3.1 µg/m³
10	Nuuk, Greenland	North America	AQI 13	PM2.5 3.1 µg/m³
11	Alofi, Niue	Oceania	AQI 13	PM2.5 3 µg/m³
12	Concord NH, United States of America	North America	AQI 14	PM2.5 3.47 µg/m³
13	Pierre SD, United States of America	North America	AQI 14	PM2.5 3.27 µg/m³
14	Koror, Palau	Oceania	AQI 17	PM2.5 4 µg/m³
15	Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon	North America	AQI 17	PM2.5 4 µg/m³
16	Stanley, Falkland Islands	South America	AQI 18	PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
17	Santa Fe NM, United States of America	North America	AQI 18	PM2.5 4.25 µg/m³
18	Hobart, Australia	Oceania	AQI 20	PM2.5 4.5 µg/m³
19	Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania	AQI 20	PM2.5 4.8 µg/m³
20	Funafuti, Tuvalu	Oceania	AQI 20	PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³
21	Mariehamn, Åland Islands	Europe	AQI 21	PM2.5 5 µg/m³
22	Montpelier VT, United States of America	North America	AQI 21	PM2.5 5.03 µg/m³
23	Wellington, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 22	PM2.5 4 µg/m³
24	Avarua, Cook Islands	Oceania	AQI 22	PM2.5 5 µg/m³
25	Kerikeri, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 22	PM2.5 5.2 µg/m³
26	The Bottom, Saba	North America	AQI 22	PM2.5 5.3 µg/m³
27	Cayenne, French Guiana	South America	AQI 22	PM2.5 5.3 µg/m³
28	Darwin, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
29	Adelaide, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
30	Cairns, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
31	Mackay, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
32	Rockhampton, Australia	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
33	Punta Arenas, Chile	South America	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
34	Queenstown, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
35	Victoria, Seychelles	Africa & Middle East	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
36	Yaren, Nauru	Oceania	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
37	Douglas, Isle of Man	Europe	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
38	Helena MT, United States of America	North America	AQI 23	PM2.5 5.49 µg/m³
39	Townsville, Australia	Oceania	AQI 24	PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
40	São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe	Africa & Middle East	AQI 24	PM2.5 5.7 µg/m³
41	Augusta ME, United States of America	North America	AQI 24	PM2.5 5.76 µg/m³
42	Tallinn, Estonia	Europe	AQI 25	PM2.5 5.7 µg/m³
43	Melbourne, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
44	Perth, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
45	Canberra, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
46	Geelong, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
47	Mandurah, Australia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
48	Auckland, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
49	Blenheim, New Zealand	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³
50	Nouméa, New Caledonia	Oceania	AQI 25	PM2.5 6 µg/m³