LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 11: Downtown highrise buildings are shown cloaked in dirty air shortly ... [+] after sunrise September 11, 2002 in Los Angeles, California. Although air quality in Los Angeles has improved in recent decades, smog levels remain among the nation's worst. Numerous wildfires in the region have also contributed to Los Angeles' air pollution problem. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)Getty ImagesFewer than one in five (17%) of global cities are meeting World Health Organisation (WHO) air pollution guidelines, according to a new analysis.The 2024 World Air Quality Report by monitoring company IQAir also found just seven countries, including Australia, Iceland and New Zealand met WHO annual average guidelines around PM2.5 particle pollution, which is sometimes referred to as soot.According to the report, the five most polluted countries in 2024 were Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and India.It also found wildfires in the Amazon rainforest impacted vast areas of Latin America in 2024 with PM2.5 levels in some cities across Brazils Rondnia and Acre states quadrupling in September.And it judged Los Angeles, California as the most polluted major U.S. city, while Seattle, Washington was judged to be the cleanest major city in the U.S in terms of PM2.5 pollution.The report was based on data from more than 40,000 air quality monitoring stations across 8,954 locations in 138 countries, territories, and regions.Overall, it found there has been notable progress in expanding air quality monitoring across various countries, but considerable gaps still exist in many parts of the world.IQAir Global chief executive Frank Hammes said many cities are showing signs of better air quality, as more people switch to electric transportation, in an interview.Hammes added there were signs of progress in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, but there is still a long way to go and air pollution has actually got worse in cities like Islamabad in Pakistan and Sarajevo in Bosnia.He said increasing rates of air pollution could be due to a lack of suitable infrastructure and fossil fuels still being burnt in large numbers to provide heating and energy.There are 7 million people dying every year around the world from air pollution, and most of them are dying from PM 2.5 exposure and combustion-related activities, said Hammes.Sometimes people point their finger at governments and say you are to blame but air pollution is caused by everyone. Everybody who's basically participating in an economic activity is causing air pollution, as we can see in places like India and Pakistan.Hammes added technology is playing a key role in making people aware of the issue at a grassroots level, but there needs to be more monitoring put in place.He said about 5% of all the data they are using for the World Air Quality report comes from schools, who have installed monitoring equipment.We are seeing a tipping point has been reached where there are more of these private air monitoring stations are out there than government stations, he told me. We now have informed citizens putting air pollution higher on the agenda that governments could be spending effort and money on.It follows a separate report by the American Lung Association, which warns stronger monitoring and protections are needed to protect communities impacted by nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution.The study says NO2 pollution disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families because they are more likely to live near major emission sources.It adds there are gaps in the current monitoring network, with fewer than 500 NO2 monitoring sites operated by state, local, and tribal air agencies in collaboration with the Environmental Protection AgencyAssociation president and chief executive Harold Wimmer said the use of satellite data is critical because it provides a more detailed picture of who may be impacted in a statement.This is also an important tool to highlight the urgent need for stronger air quality standards and more comprehensive monitoring to protect families across the U.S, added Wimmer.In November, a report by experts from the Universities of Edinburgh and Essex warned more air pollution monitoring and research across Africa was urgently needed to help save lives on the continent.