What are the top 10 Noisiest cities n the world? Discover what these are in this fun little blog.
1. Madrid, Spain
Madrid has nightlife, which produces a tremendous amount of loud noise. 45 decibels doesn’t seem like much, but try sleeping through it at 2 am.
2. New York, New York
The Big Apple has approximately eight million residents and over 50 million tourists a year so it is bound to be noisy! While New York City’s decibel level is typically 70 decibels, it can reach up to 90-dB and beyond.
3. Delhi, India
Another area where a high population leads to serious noise pollution. Traffic is a big culprit, in this and it can reach up to 85 decibels on a regular basis.
4. Shanghai, China
Shanghai traffic only gets up to about 71 decibels, but overall noise can reach 85 decibels or higher. With a massive 24 million people in the city, it’s not surprising that noise pollution is such a problem.
5. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires makes the list largely due to its economy, which is centered around motor vehicle construction, which involves extremely loud metalwork. Many areas in the city routinely reach the 85-decibel mark.
6. Karachi, Pakistan
With 15 million residents, it’s not surprising that this Pakistan city is one of the world’s loudest cities. Much of the noise can be attributed to Karachi’s traffic, which regularly produces sound of 90 decibels.
7. Tokyo, Japan
The Tokyo metropolitan area is the most populated in the world, with 35 million people. That’s a lot of noise! Most of Tokyo’s extreme noise pollution comes from construction work. Decibel levels in some areas can reach 90-dB or more.
8. Cairo, Egypt
Cairo is the real city that never sleeps, and the noise pollution is so bad that it’s actually been linked to multiple deaths. Imagine waking up at 7:30am to 90 decibels of sound.
9. Kolkata, India
Kolkata is a very factory-heavy environment, which is one reason why this is one of the loudest cities in the world. Another reason is extremely loud firecracker celebrations, which can shoot the noise level to 100 decibels.
10. Mumbai, India
With almost 13 million people. Thanks to the major traffic and serious overpopulation, this is considered the noisiest city in the world with sound levels that can top over 100 decibels.
Dealing with a noisy city life can be challenging especially if you live in an apartment. Discover some possible solutions to solving some of these noise issues in our acoustics blog
