SmogRank / Countries / South Africa / January 2026

Most polluted cities in South Africa, January 2026

3 cities in South Africa ranked by their average PM2.5 over the 31 days. Worst: Vereeniging at 21.8 µg/m³, #240 of 2,047 cities in the world. Cleanest: Richards Bay at 4.8. A city needs measurements on 70% of the days to be ranked.

  1. 1Vereeniginglow-cost sensorsGauteng
    21.8
  2. 2Shakaskraallow-cost sensorsKwaZulu-Natal
    8.2
  3. 3Richards Baylow-cost sensorsKwaZulu-Natal
    4.8
Good0–9.0
Moderate9.1–35.4
Sensitive groups35.5–55.4
Unhealthy55.5–125.4
Very unhealthy125.5–225.4
Hazardous225.5+

All cities in the world, January 2026 · South Africa now