Korea's air quality ranks close to the bottom among 180 countries.

The country scored a mere 45.51 out of a maximum 100 points in terms of air quality to rank 173rd in the Environmental Performance Index by Yale and Columbia universities announced Monday.

When it comes to air quality indoors, Korea ranked at the top, but it fell to 174th in terms of ultra-fine dust pollution and at the bottom of the list along with the Netherlands and Belgium for nitrogen dioxide pollution.

China ranked last but has made much more dramatic headlines for its barely breathable air.