Dhaka is the loudest city in the world; Moradabad comes a close second. Which are the other Indian cities on the list?
1. Dhaka (Bangladesh) – 119dB. In April 2022, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) named Bangladesh's capital the world's noisiest city. In 1999, the World Health Organisation published guidelines stating that noise levels above 70dB over a prolonged period can lead to a greater chance of hearing loss.
According to the survey, Dhaka has the highest average noise frequency at 119 decibels.
Shanghai, China. This busy city with a population of over 24 million results in 100,000 noise complaints each year.
Top of our list of quietest places on Earth is the place described as “where sound goes to die”. This Microsoft research lab in the city of Redmond, Washington, is officially the quietest place on Earth, according to Guinness World Records.
Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad, famously known as 'brass city', has become the second noisiest city globally.
A whisper is between 20-30 dB. On the other hand, a human scream can reach decibel levels between 80 and 125 dB.
Mumbai, India
“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,” is how Sound Proof Cow describes Mumbai, India.
Mumbai, India
Known as the entertainment, commercial fashion and financial capital of India, Mumbai's severe city traffic and overpopulation can lead to noise of over 100 decibels, and it has been declared the noisiest city in the world in previous studies.
The loudest sound in recorded history came from the volcanic eruption on the Indonesian island Krakatoa at 10.02 a.m. on August 27, 1883. The explosion caused two thirds of the island to collapse and formed tsunami waves as high as 46 m (151 ft) rocking ships as far away as South Africa.
But what about the loudest sound ever heard? On the morning of 27 August 1883, on the Indonesian island of Krakatoa, a volcanic eruption produced what scientists believe to be the loudest sound produced on the surface of the planet, estimated at 310 decibels (dB).
These speakers, driven by pressurised nitrogen gas, can saturate the room with 163 dB of continuous noise for up to 10 minutes. The biggest speakers generate a tone at 25 Hz, which is just above the lowest note humans can hear, while the smaller speakers go as high as 250 Hz.
The Belfast primary school teacher bellowed her way into the world record books in 1994 with a thunderous bellow of the word (what else?) 'quiet! '. The shout clocked up an earth-shattering 121.7 decibels, setting a world record and potentially damaging the hearing of anyone within earshot.
Common Sources of Noise and Decibel Levels
Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears. The table below shows dB levels and how noise from everyday sources can affect your hearing.
A one-time exposure to extreme loud sound or listening to loud sounds for a long time can cause hearing loss. Loud noise can damage cells and membranes in the cochlea. Listening to loud noise for a long time can overwork hair cells in the ear, which can cause these cells to die.
Audio devices and mobile phones including iPhone have a sound level of 100 dB or louder. iPhones can produce a maximum of 115 decibels (software limits European iPods to 100 dB; U.S. models have been measured higher), the equivalent of attending a rock concert amplification.
Understanding Decibel Levels
For comparison purposes, a shotgun produces 155 dB on average. Prolonged exposure to high decibel levels can come from everyday sounds. When we're continually exposed to these noises, hearing loss gradually happens.
Guangzhou, China, ranked as having the worst levels of noise pollution in the world, followed by Cairo, Paris, Beijing and Delhi.
With active populations, road traffic, industry, and construction, cities are expectedly noisy places.