Air pollution shortens the average Bangladeshi's life expectancy by 5.4 years, said the latest edition of the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago's Air Quality Life Index (AQLI).

At present, the average life expectancy of Bangladeshis is 72.6 years, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. In 1998, life expectancy was cut short by 2.8 years due to air pollution, while it stood at 5.4 years in 2019.

The most polluted areas of the country are the divisions of Khulna and Rajshahi, where the average resident is exposed to pollution that is more than seven times the WHO guideline -- reducing life expectancy by more than six years, according to AQLI.

Dhaka residents could live 7.7 years longer if air pollution subsides, found the global study.