This is in spite of the country having the world’s worst air quality back in summer when the wildfire season was in full-swing.

Air Quality In Canada

The report comes from the Fraser Institute, a peer-reviewed publication that conducts research on impactful government actions that affects Canadians across the board. This includes things like air quality, which Canadians have expressed concern about in past years. According to a 2023 survey by Abacus Data, 7 in 10 Canadians said that they were worried about the state of outdoor air quality.

If you are one of those Canadians, then you’ll be glad to know that “Canada outperforms most comparable high-income countries on air quality, suggesting a gap between public perception and empirical reality.” While the wildfire season does indeed decimate the country’s air quality during the summer, it’s important to remember that– overall– Canada has very clean air.

The Fraser Institute has determined Canada’s ranking through a variety of research, particularly focused on particulates. These are tiny solid particles and liquid droplets that float in the air, with the smallest of these particles being especially hazardous. They can penetrate a person’s lungs, enter the bloodstream, and harm one’s health.

Measuring Particulates

“Exposure to fine particulate matter stems from both natural and human sources. Natural events such as wildfires, dust storms and volcanic eruptions can release particles into the air that can travel thousands of kilometres. Other sources of particulate pollution originate from human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels in automobiles and during industrial processes,” reads the report.

The Fraser Institute used three measures related to particulate pollution: average exposure, share of the population at risk, and estimated health impacts. In all these measures, Canadians had low exposure, as well as having the fifth-lowest estimate death and illness burned due to fine particle pollution.

In all, Canada ranks 8th in air quality among 31 other countries, beaten out by countries such as Finland, Norway, and Iceland.