PM2.5 air pollution exposure by country, 2023
Population-weighted average annual concentration of fine particles smaller than 2.5 microns, which can penetrate deep into the lungs. WHO's 2021 guideline value is 5 µg/m³.
200 places ranked for 2023. Highest: Qatar (107.8 µg/m³). Lowest: Greenland (1.6 µg/m³). The median is 17.3 µg/m³.
Highest 10
- 1. Qatar 107.8 µg/m³
- 2. Saudi Arabia 73.5 µg/m³
- 3. Bangladesh 69.3 µg/m³
- 4. Nigeria 65.7 µg/m³
- 5. Niger 65.2 µg/m³
- 6. Kuwait 62.3 µg/m³
- 7. Pakistan 58.4 µg/m³
- 8. United Arab Emirates 57.2 µg/m³
- 9. Bahrain 56.6 µg/m³
- 10. Cameroon 55.6 µg/m³
Lowest 10
- 200. Greenland 1.6 µg/m³
- 199. Northern Mariana Islands 2.7 µg/m³
- 198. Guam 3.5 µg/m³
- 197. Micronesia 3.5 µg/m³
- 196. Kiribati 3.9 µg/m³
- 195. Marshall Islands 4.1 µg/m³
- 194. American Samoa 4.3 µg/m³
- 193. Finland 4.6 µg/m³
- 192. Samoa 4.6 µg/m³
- 191. Bermuda 4.6 µg/m³
The chart loads when you scroll to it.
The chart shows the 40 highest values; the table lists all 200. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators.
In short
- Among the 200 countries with a value for 2023, the highest is Qatar (107.8 µg/m³) and the lowest Greenland (1.6 µg/m³).
- Half of the countries are above 17.3 µg/m³ and half below.
- From 2022 to 2023 the value rose in 56 countries and fell in 144.
- The figure for the world was 32.9 µg/m³ in 2023, against 34.7 µg/m³ in 2018 (−5.4%).
Full ranking
| # | Country | Value | Period | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar | 107.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | 73.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 3 | Bangladesh | 69.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 4 | Nigeria | 65.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 5 | Niger | 65.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 6 | Kuwait | 62.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 7 | Pakistan | 58.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates | 57.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 9 | Bahrain | 56.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 10 | Cameroon | 55.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 11 | India | 54.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 12 | Nepal | 53.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 13 | Iraq | 49.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 14 | Oman | 46.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 15 | Yemen | 46.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 16 | Mauritania | 46.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 17 | Egypt | 43.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 18 | Chad | 43.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 19 | Mongolia | 42.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 20 | Equatorial Guinea | 42.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 21 | Senegal | 41.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 22 | Djibouti | 40.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 23 | Iran | 40.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 24 | Benin | 39.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 25 | Gambia | 38.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 26 | Afghanistan | 37.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 27 | Sudan | 37.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 28 | Burkina Faso | 37.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 29 | Republic of the Congo | 36.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 30 | Rwanda | 36.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 31 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 35.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 32 | Burundi | 35.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 33 | Mali | 35.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 34 | Myanmar | 35.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 35 | Togo | 34.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 36 | Eritrea | 33.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 37 | Tajikistan | 33.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 38 | Central African Republic | 33.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 39 | Uzbekistan | 32.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 40 | Jordan | 32.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 41 | Guinea-Bissau | 32.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 42 | Syria | 32.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 43 | China | 32.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 44 | Gabon | 31.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 45 | Turkmenistan | 31.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 46 | Uganda | 31.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 47 | Peru | 31.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 48 | Honduras | 30.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 49 | Bhutan | 30.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 50 | Guatemala | 29.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 51 | El Salvador | 29.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 52 | Armenia | 28.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 53 | Ghana | 28.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 54 | Bolivia | 28.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 55 | South Africa | 27.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 56 | Guinea | 27.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 57 | Lebanon | 26.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 58 | Lesotho | 26.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 59 | Türkiye | 26.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 60 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 26.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 61 | Laos | 26.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 62 | Viet Nam | 24.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 63 | Ethiopia | 23.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 64 | Azerbaijan | 23.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 65 | South Sudan | 23.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 66 | Thailand | 23.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 67 | Chile | 23.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 68 | Sri Lanka | 22.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 69 | Sierra Leone | 22.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 70 | West Bank and Gaza | 22.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 71 | Philippines | 22.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 72 | Israel | 21.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 73 | South Korea | 21.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 74 | North Macedonia | 21.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 75 | North Korea | 21.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 76 | Jamaica | 21.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 77 | Indonesia | 20.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 78 | Nicaragua | 20.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 79 | Côte d'Ivoire | 20.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 80 | Kenya | 20.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 81 | Zambia | 20.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 82 | Cabo Verde | 20.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 83 | Tanzania | 20.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 84 | Kyrgyzstan | 20.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 85 | Libya | 20.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 86 | Angola | 19.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 87 | Bulgaria | 19.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 88 | Kazakhstan | 19.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 89 | Cambodia | 19.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 90 | Serbia | 19.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 91 | Venezuela | 19.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 92 | Tunisia | 18.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 93 | Morocco | 18.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 94 | Ecuador | 18.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 95 | Georgia | 18.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 96 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 18.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 97 | Montenegro | 18.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 98 | Colombia | 18.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 99 | Liberia | 17.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 100 | Costa Rica | 17.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 101 | Guyana | 16.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 102 | Belize | 16.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 103 | Eswatini | 16.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 104 | Malawi | 16.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 105 | Mexico | 16.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 106 | Algeria | 16.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 107 | Poland | 16.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 108 | Cyprus | 16.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 109 | Romania | 16.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 110 | Malaysia | 15.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 111 | Haiti | 15.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 112 | Croatia | 15.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 113 | Suriname | 15.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 114 | Albania | 15.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 115 | Paraguay | 15.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 116 | Singapore | 15.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 117 | Panama | 15.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 118 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 15.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 119 | Zimbabwe | 15.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 120 | Moldova | 14.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 121 | Ukraine | 14.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 122 | Argentina | 14.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 123 | Italy | 14.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 124 | Namibia | 14.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 125 | Greece | 14.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 126 | Papua New Guinea | 14.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 127 | Mauritius | 14.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 128 | Trinidad and Tobago | 13.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 129 | Mozambique | 13.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 130 | Slovakia | 13.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 131 | Hungary | 13.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 132 | Dominican Republic | 13.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 133 | Brazil | 13.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 134 | Botswana | 13.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 135 | Latvia | 13.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 136 | Czechia | 12.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 137 | San Marino | 12.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 138 | Slovenia | 12.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 139 | Madagascar | 12.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 140 | Timor-Leste | 12.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 141 | Belarus | 12.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 142 | Russia | 11.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 143 | Dominica | 11.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 144 | Japan | 11.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 145 | Monaco | 11.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 146 | Maldives | 11.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 147 | Grenada | 11.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 148 | Barbados | 10.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 149 | Uruguay | 10.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 150 | Malta | 10.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 151 | Lithuania | 10.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 152 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 10.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 153 | Saint Lucia | 10.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 154 | Comoros | 10.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 155 | Spain | 10.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 156 | Austria | 10.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 157 | Solomon Islands | 9.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 158 | United Kingdom | 9.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 159 | Cuba | 9.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 160 | Seychelles | 9.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 161 | Andorra | 8.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 162 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 8.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 163 | Germany | 8.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 164 | Portugal | 8.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 165 | Netherlands | 8.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 166 | Belgium | 8.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 167 | Antigua and Barbuda | 8.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 168 | Switzerland | 8.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 169 | France | 8.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 170 | Puerto Rico (US) | 7.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 171 | Brunei | 7.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 172 | Ireland | 7.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 173 | Denmark | 7.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 174 | Luxembourg | 7.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 175 | Vanuatu | 7.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 176 | United States | 7.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 177 | New Zealand | 6.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 178 | US Virgin Islands | 6.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 179 | Canada | 6.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 180 | Fiji | 6.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 181 | Australia | 6.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 182 | Estonia | 5.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 183 | Norway | 5.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 184 | Bahamas | 5.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 185 | Sweden | 5.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 186 | Tuvalu | 5.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 187 | Palau | 4.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 188 | Iceland | 4.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 189 | Naoero | 4.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 190 | Tonga | 4.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 191 | Bermuda | 4.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 192 | Samoa | 4.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 193 | Finland | 4.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 194 | American Samoa | 4.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 195 | Marshall Islands | 4.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 196 | Kiribati | 3.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 197 | Micronesia | 3.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 198 | Guam | 3.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 199 | Northern Mariana Islands | 2.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 200 | Greenland | 1.6 µg/m³ | 2023 |
Places are ordered from the highest to the lowest value. Group medians on this site are the middle value of the members with data for the same year; they are not official aggregates.
How this ranking works
Every country is ranked on its value for 2023, the latest period that most countries have, so all values are for the same point in time. Countries without a value for 2023 are left out. Groups and aggregates such as the European Union are not ranked. Values are as published by World Bank; the ranking is a plain ordering from the highest to the lowest value and says nothing about whether a high value is good or bad.
Earlier years: use the year selector above. Methodology · Coverage and freshness