In this article, we will take a look at the top 25 most unhygienic countries in the world.

The rigor of sanitary standards and hygiene norms varies among countries. Stricter means fewer actions are allowed, and results are constrained. The question “Why are hygiene standards more stringent in some countries?” has received different answers from different research studies. For instance, Gelfand et al.’s theory is that in certain “tighter” nations, all standards, including hygiene norms, are tougher than in other “looser” ones. Murray and Schaller, on the other hand, said that an alternate evolutionary psychology hypothesis holds that hygiene norms are adaptive reactions to disease danger. A third explanation proposed by a famous sociologist is that the strictness of hygiene standards is the result of a “civilizing process” fueled by society’s value of self-control. These ideas produce varying predictions about how cleanliness standards would change between countries. But this article aims to examine the extreme. It aims not to discover the most hygienic countries but to determine the 25 most unhygienic countries in the world.

Our Methodology

In order to come up with the 25 most unhygienic countries in the world, extensive research was undertaken, incorporating articles from six distinct sources (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6). Every time a country is included on a particular source’s list, it is assigned a value of one point. Subsequently, these points were employed to establish a rank order and ascertain the 25 countries with the highest levels of unclean conditions globally.

25 Most Unhygienic Countries in the World

25. Tajikistan

As the country builds more coal-fired power plants and factories, the air pollution in Tajikistan’s capital is expected to get worse in the coming years. Idrisova says that Tajikistan’s Committee for Environmental Protection said in 2018 that more than 70% of dangerous emissions come from cars and trucks.

24. Vietnam

According to Hoang Hai Van, the managing editor of the Thanh Nien newspaper, which has lately published a series of pioneering pieces on the subject, the primary cause of Vietnam’s air pollution issue lies in the utilization of contaminated gasoline. The greatest source of air pollution in Vietnam is transportation. Roads have over 3.6 million automobiles and 58 million motorcycles. Most of these cars and trucks are in cities nationwide. Most of these cars are ancient and don’t fulfill pollution requirements. They produce daily traffic congestion and thick smoke. These vehicles include ancient buses and building company vans and lorries.

23. Philippines

The Philippines has had a problem with dirty air for a long time. Air pollution in the Philippines is caused by the burning of coal, oil, and other fossil fuels. According to data from 2016, 80% of the country’s air pollution comes from motor vehicles, and 20% comes from stationary sources like factories and the open burning of organic waste. The weather is another thing that plays a role.

22. United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is confronted with environmental challenges stemming from the exploitation of natural resources, accelerated population growth, and elevated energy use. The UAE‘s water scarcity, desertification, rising sea level, and aridity are exacerbated by global warming’s continued temperature increase. The countryside of the UAE, which is characterized by extensive dry land, infrequent precipitation, and high temperatures, is already threatened by dryness over the long term. This condition is extremely susceptible to the effects of climate change and contributes to the deterioration of water scarcity, purity, and contamination.

21. Kuwait

The oil business in Kuwait generates substantial levels of pollution through the combustion of fossil fuels during drilling and fracking, as well as the subsequent activities of exporting and storing oil. The nation possesses substantial oil reserves that are consistently exploited and replenished. Significantly, the oil sector is the biggest polluter in Kuwait. The burning of fossil fuels, as well as the extraction, drilling, fracking, storage, and exporting of oil, are the biggest sources of pollution in the country.

20. Uganda

In Uganda, water and sanitation services have not kept up with the country’s growing economy, growing population, and growing cities over the past 20 years. The country also has about 1.4 million refugees, most of whom came from South Sudan because of the war there. Moreover, in Uganda, the number of deaths and illnesses caused by dirty air has been going up over the past few years. Uganda doesn’t have an air quality tracking network that works well and is open to the public. A big problem in Uganda is the lack of reliable data and knowledge about how much air pollution people are exposed to. Uganda’s bad air is caused by smoke from cars, factories, people burning trash, road dust, and soot from indoor cookstoves that use biomass fuel.

19. China

China sends millions and millions of tons of trash and plastic into the ocean, overfishes the waters of other countries, destroys huge areas of coral reefs, and puts more toxic mercury into the air. Since 2006, it has been the country that puts out the most greenhouse gases (GHG) every year. However, China is also the biggest source of mercury pollution in the world. Mercury is a poison that poses a major health risk when it gets into the air, water, and land. Mercury pollution in the air comes mostly from dirty coal-burning power plants in China and plants that Chinese state-owned companies fund, build, and run in other countries.

18. Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a country that depends mostly on the oil it produces. However, the dirty air in Saudi Arabia is caused by the oil and the activities in the towns. Even though everyone is affected by air pollution, it is often the poor who suffer the most. Saudi Arabia has some of the biggest problems that come from a mix of human-made (transportation, industrial activity, urbanization) and natural (desert sand) causes. Because of this, outdoor air pollution kills a lot more people in Saudi Arabia than it does in other countries with similar incomes.

17. Uzbekistan

Pollution comes from many places in Uzbekistan, including human actions (both now and in the past) and combustion sources. The use of cars and trucks across the country is a big factor in the total AQI, or air quality index level. Most personal vehicles in Uzbekistan are cars and motorcycles, which are often very old and well past their best years because motor standards aren’t as strict and many people don’t have much money. Older engines leak a lot of fuel and oil, which makes the air and land dirty and releases more poisonous gases, smoke, exhaust particles, and toxins.

16. Yemen

Air pollution in Yemen comes from a number of sources, such as cars, power plants, and heavy building tools, like industrial saws, that are used a lot. However, cars and other vehicles are the main cause of air pollution, especially in towns like Sana’a. However, Yemen, being the most economically disadvantaged nation within its region, exhibited a lack of progress in the domain of solid waste management prior to the onset of the Arab Spring.

15. Mongolia

Mongolia is one of many cities, especially in developing countries, that are dealing with toxic levels of pollution as industrial emissions, car exhaust, and chemical releases rise. A study released in October 2017 in the medical journal The Lancet found that pollution is responsible for about 9 million early deaths, or about 1 in 6 deaths around the world. More than 90% of these deaths happened in countries with low or middle incomes.

14. Sudan

59% of the population of South Sudan does not have access to clean water. Families may be forced to drink contaminated water in order to survive, placing them at risk for waterborne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea, which continue to be the leading causes of child mortality in South Sudan. The situation is exacerbated by unsanitary practices. 10% of the population has access to enhanced sanitation facilities. Most of Sudan’s water is very dirty and full of many different kinds of diseases. A lot of the chemical waste and pesticides that factories and farms produce end up in rivers and other bodies of water.

13. Burkina Faso

Major environmental issues in Burkina Faso include air, waste, and water degradation. According to World Health Organization guidelines, Burkina Faso’s air quality is considered hazardous. According to World Health Organization guidelines, Burkina Faso’s air quality is considered hazardous. The country’s annual mean PM2.5 concentration is 43 micrograms per cubic meter, which exceeds the recommended maximum of 10 micrograms per cubic meter. In Burkina Faso, poor air quality is caused by combustion processes, aging vehicles, and biomass burning. There are seasonal variations in pollution, with levels being highest during the dry season (November to March).

12. Iraq

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provide the majority of Iraq’s water, are extensively polluted with residential garbage and litter, further damaging the water supply. The streets of Baghdad’s poorest districts are inundated with sewage, which seeps through the walls and floors of people’s homes, causing them to collapse. In countries dominated by deserts, such as Iraq, intensifying sandstorms and diminishing grass cover have coated rivers with dust and burdened water purification facilities with a new set of problems.

11. Bahrain

The primary sources of Bahrain’s pollution are sandstorms, industrial emissions, private vehicle use, and the production of fertilizer. According to a report by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, Bahrain will be one of the top five most contaminated countries for air quality in 2022, alongside Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. According to the report, Bahrain’s 2022 air concentration level of 66.6 micrograms per cubic meter (mcg/m3) exceeds the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline by 13 times. It indicates that there are 66.6 micrograms of lung-damaging PM 2.5 airborne particles per cubic meter of air.

10. Egypt

Cairo has frequently been ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities due to its poor air and water quality, congested traffic, and long-standing refuse management problems. Road transportation is responsible for an estimated 33 percent of Cairo’s PM2.5 air pollution levels. In addition to agricultural burning, industrial and power plant emissions contribute to PM2.5 pollution in Cairo.

9. Indonesia

It is not uncommon to find overcrowded households where multiple families share a single bedroom with three or more individuals. These problems can be traced back to the government’s inability to fulfill its responsibilities effectively. Moreover, according to reports, Indonesia has the highest concentration of PM2.5 in the region at 34,3 micrograms per cubic meter, making it the most polluted nation in Southeast Asia.

8. Qatar

Qatar’s high air pollution level has earned it a spot on a new map highlighting the world’s most toxic nations. The Gulf state ranked fourth on the list, which was released in January by UK-based Eco Experts and taken up this week by the Weather Channel. Moreover, according to WHO data, it was ranked as the twelfth most polluted city in the world, with a PM 2.5 of 93 micrograms per cubic meter. With a population of 2 million and a life expectancy of 78 years, Qatar is a high-income country in the eastern Mediterranean region. In terms of health and pollution risks, it is nonetheless one of the least tourist-friendly nations.

7. Afghanistan

Only 42% of Afghans have access to safe drinking water, and only 27% have access to sanitary facilities, resulting in diarrheal illness, which kills an estimated 85,000 Afghan children under the age of five each year. Moreover, open defecation harms society, health, the environment, and development. The State of the World’s Toilets 2007 survey estimates that 92% of Afghanistan’s 26.6 million people lack appropriate sanitation. This ranks the country first among “the worst places in the world for sanitation”. UNICEF reports that 34% of Afghans (urban 49%, rural 29%) use sufficient sanitation.

6. Ethiopia

Despite notable progress, Ethiopia’s water and sanitation systems are facing severe challenges due to the country’s population growth and rapid urbanization. According to available data, the proportion of Ethiopians with access to “at least basic sanitation services” stands at 7%, with a breakdown of 4% in rural areas and 20% in urban areas. Today, almost 97 million Ethiopians lack access to decent sanitation. Families in very rural villages have no choice but to go outside in the absence of safe, covered restrooms, resulting in water contamination and a major impact on community health. Disease transmission is aided by unsafe sanitation and poor hygiene habits, as well as a lack of access to potable water.

5. Nepal

The inadequate provision of potable water, sanitary infrastructure, and waste management systems, compounded by waterlogging resulting from inadequate drainage, has been aggravating the urban environment in Nepal. These issues have also presented numerous concerns, including health hazards. Moreover, the air quality in Nepal is increasingly becoming a significant concern. The capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu, is positioned in a manner that facilitates the accumulation of pollutants over an extended period. The local administration has documented a rise in atmospheric pollution and is beginning to express concern regarding the potential long-term implications for the well-being of its residents.

4. Nigeria

Environmental health risks are becoming a major issue in Nigeria. Most environmental problems, like air pollution, water pollution, oil spills, deforestation, desertification, erosion, and flooding (caused by poor drainage systems), are caused by humans. Based on the Mercer Health and Sanitation Index, Nigeria exhibits a score of 46.8, indicating a significant deviation from the standard of cleanliness associated with countries deemed to be clean. The issue of trash disposal in Nigeria persists, leading to the contamination of waterways and varying impacts on different towns within the country. A dearth of preventive techniques for the management of pollution and clean-up methods has resulted in the exacerbation of associated concerns.