SOTWStatistics of the World

Air Pollution by Country 2023

Average exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in micrograms per cubic meter, weighted by where people live, for each country’s whole population, urban and rural.

Qatar has the highest population-weighted exposure to PM2.5: 107.8 in 2023. Next are Saudi Arabia (73.5), Bangladesh (69.3), Nigeria (65.7) and Niger (65.2). Greenland has the lowest population-weighted exposure to PM2.5: 1.6 in 2023. The median across the 200 countries is 17.3, counting each country once, so it is not a world average.

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. 200 of 217 countries and territories have a figure. Every figure is for 2023.

Highest
107.8
Qatar, 2023
Lowest
1.6
Greenland, 2023
Median
17.3
Counting each country once, so it is not a world average
Coverage
200 of 217
Countries and territories with a figure; 2023
Air Pollution by Country: 2023 Rankings: 200 countries and territories ranked by population-weighted exposure to PM2.5, with the year of each figure.
#CountryPM2.5 exposure (µg/m³)YearChange since 2013
1Qatar107.82023+10.4
2Saudi Arabia73.52023+0.5
3Bangladesh69.32023+3.8
4Nigeria65.72023+13.5
5Niger65.22023+8.2
6Kuwait62.32023-1.1
7Pakistan58.42023+4.1
8United Arab Emirates57.22023+1.3
9Bahrain56.62023+2.3
10Cameroon55.62023+2.8
11India54.12023+1.8
12Nepal53.22023+3.3
13Iraq49.52023-1.8
14Oman46.92023-0.8
15Yemen46.82023-5
16Mauritania46.52023+3.7
17Egypt43.12023-3.4
18Chad432023+0
19Mongolia42.72023-2.7
20Equatorial Guinea42.22023+3
21Senegal41.62023+5.5
22Djibouti40.32023-3.6
23Iran40.22023+0.5
24Benin39.72023+7.6
25The Gambia38.32023+5.7
26Afghanistan37.92023+1.3
27Sudan37.62023-3.1
28Burkina Faso37.32023+1.8
29Republic of the Congo36.52023-3.6
30Rwanda362023-4.6
31DR Congo35.82023-5.6
32Burundi35.72023-5.6
33Mali35.52023+1.8
34Myanmar35.12023-1.1
35Togo34.32023+5.8
36Eritrea33.72023-1.6
37Tajikistan33.32023+3.9
37Central African Republic33.32023-4.9
39Uzbekistan32.82023+1.8
40Jordan32.62023+1.4
41Guinea-Bissau32.32023+3.8
42Syria32.12023-2.2
43China322023-19.8
44Gabon31.32023-0.8
45Turkmenistan31.22023+0.8
45Uganda31.22023-3.3
47Peru31.12023+1.3
48Honduras30.72023-1.4
49Bhutan30.12023+1.6
50Guatemala29.72023-2.3
51El Salvador29.62023-1.7
52Armenia28.62023+1.5
53Ghana28.12023+3.9
53Bolivia28.12023+3
55South Africa27.72023-0.7
56Guinea27.32023+2.3
57Lebanon26.72023+0
58Lesotho26.42023-0.5
58Türkiye26.42023-0.6
60Bosnia and Herzegovina26.12023-2.4
61Laos262023-2.5
62Vietnam24.82023-4.8
63Ethiopia23.82023-1.1
64Azerbaijan23.72023-1.4
64South Sudan23.72023-4.1
66Thailand23.52023-3.8
67Chile23.12023+1.7
68Sri Lanka22.72023-3.5
69Sierra Leone22.52023+1.8
70West Bank and Gaza22.42023+0.6
71Philippines22.22023-0.4
72Israel21.92023+0.3
72South Korea21.92023-3.2
74North Macedonia21.82023-6.7
74North Korea21.82023-2.8
76Jamaica21.72023+1.7
77Indonesia20.82023+1.5
78Nicaragua20.42023-0.7
78Côte d'Ivoire20.42023+1.9
80Kenya20.32023-1.1
81Zambia20.22023-1.8
81Cabo Verde20.22023+3.2
81Tanzania20.22023-2.9
84Kyrgyzstan20.12023-1.7
85Libya202023-6
86Angola19.92023-2.7
87Bulgaria19.72023-4.2
88Kazakhstan19.62023-1.9
89Cambodia19.42023-2.1
90Serbia19.32023-4.9
91Venezuela19.22023-1.5
92Tunisia18.92023+1.5
93Morocco18.72023+1.4
94Ecuador18.62023+0.6
94Georgia18.62023+0.1
96Somalia18.52023-1.1
96Montenegro18.52023-4.5
98Colombia18.42023-0.1
99Liberia17.92023+0.6
100Costa Rica17.72023-1.4
101Guyana16.92023+0.1
102Belize16.82023-0.5
103Eswatini16.72023-0.7
103Malawi16.72023-2.2
105Mexico16.62023-1
106Algeria16.52023+1.3
106Poland16.52023-6.4
108Cyprus16.12023-2.4
109Romania162023-2.2
110Malaysia15.92023-3.8
111Haiti15.82023+0.7
111Croatia15.82023-3.7
113Suriname15.72023+0.1
114Albania15.52023-2.7
115Paraguay15.32023+3.1
116Singapore15.12023-10.3
116Panama15.12023-0.2
116Sao Tome and Principe15.12023-1.2
119Zimbabwe152023-2.2
120Moldova14.92023-2.6
120Ukraine14.92023-4.1
122Argentina14.32023-0.2
122Italy14.32023-3.2
124Namibia14.22023-2.8
125Greece14.12023-1
125Papua New Guinea14.12023-1.3
125Mauritius14.12023-1.1
128Trinidad and Tobago13.82023+0.2
129Mozambique13.72023-2.2
129Slovakia13.72023-6.5
129Hungary13.72023-5.5
132Dominican Republic13.52023+1.4
133Brazil13.42023+0.2
134Botswana13.22023-3.4
135Latvia132023-4.1
136Czechia12.72023-6.4
136San Marino12.72023-2.1
138Slovenia12.62023-4
139Madagascar12.42023-1.9
140Timor-Leste122023-0
140Belarus122023-5.9
142Russia11.62023-2.6
143Dominica11.52023+1.4
143Japan11.52023-1.5
145Monaco11.42023-2.4
146Maldives11.22023-1.6
147Grenada112023+1
148Barbados10.92023+1
148Uruguay10.92023-0.9
150Malta10.82023-1.4
151Lithuania10.72023-4.8
152St. Vincent and the Grenadines10.62023+1.1
153St. Lucia10.42023+0.9
154Comoros10.22023-1.7
155Spain10.12023-0.2
156Austria102023-5.4
157Solomon Islands9.82023-0.9
158United Kingdom9.52023-3
159Cuba9.42023+0
160Seychelles9.32023-0.8
161Andorra8.92023-0.4
161St. Kitts and Nevis8.92023+0.8
163Germany8.82023-4.7
163Portugal8.82023-0.3
165Netherlands8.62023-5
166Belgium8.42023-7.2
166Antigua and Barbuda8.42023+0.6
168Switzerland8.32023-5
169France8.22023-6.1
170Puerto Rico7.82023+1.3
171Brunei7.62023-0.8
172Ireland7.52023-1.6
172Denmark7.52023-1.7
174Luxembourg7.42023-6.9
175Vanuatu72023-1.5
175United States72023-1.5
177New Zealand6.92023+0.2
178U.S. Virgin Islands6.82023+0.9
179Canada6.62023-0.6
180Fiji6.42023+0.1
180Australia6.42023+0.4
182Estonia5.92023-2.5
183Norway5.52023-1.6
184Bahamas5.32023+0.4
184Sweden5.32023-1
186Tuvalu5.22023-0.7
187Palau4.92023-0.8
187Iceland4.92023+0.1
189Nauru4.82023-1
190Tonga4.72023+0.1
191Bermuda4.62023-0.2
191Samoa4.62023-0
191Finland4.62023-1.7
194American Samoa4.32023+0.1
195Marshall Islands4.12023-0.7
196Kiribati3.92023-0.8
197Micronesia3.52023-0.8
197Guam3.52023-0.6
199Northern Mariana Islands2.72023-0.9
200Greenland1.62023-0.2

Each figure in the PM2.5 exposure (µg/m³) column is the latest available for that country, and every one is for 2023. Values are rounded for display; the CSV download has full precision.

No figure: Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Channel Islands, Curaçao, Faroe Islands, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macao, New Caledonia, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands.

World map of population-weighted exposure to PM2.5, 2023. Source: World Bank World Development Indicators.
Highest: Qatar 107.8 (2023), Saudi Arabia 73.5 (2023), Bangladesh 69.3 (2023). Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. 32 ranked countries are too small for the map's outlines and drawn as a dot at the capital. Shapes show location only.
Embed this map
<a href="https://statisticsoftheworld.com/air-pollution-by-country"><img src="https://statisticsoftheworld.com/maps/EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3.svg" width="960" height="500" alt="World map of population-weighted exposure to PM2.5, 2023. Source: World Bank World Development Indicators."></a>
<p>Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Map: <a href="https://statisticsoftheworld.com/air-pollution-by-country">Statistics of the World</a></p>

Then and now

Qatar2000: 109.42023: 107.8Saudi Arabia2000: 62.62023: 73.5Bangladesh2000: 64.62023: 69.3Nigeria2000: 68.42023: 65.7Niger2000: 58.42023: 65.2Kuwait2000: 61.92023: 62.3
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Years 2000 to 2023; each panel has its own scale.
The first 10 in each year, among the countries with a figure that year; the last column is the table above (2023).
#20132023
1Qatar (97.4)Qatar (107.8)
2Saudi Arabia (73)Saudi Arabia (73.5)
3Bangladesh (65.5)Bangladesh (69.3)
4Kuwait (63.4)Nigeria (65.7)
5Niger (57.1)Niger (65.2)
6United Arab Emirates (55.9)Kuwait (62.3)
7Bahrain (54.3)Pakistan (58.4)
8Pakistan (54.3)United Arab Emirates (57.2)
9Cameroon (52.8)Bahrain (56.6)
10India (52.3)Cameroon (55.6)

Nigeria rose the most since 2013, +13.5, among the 200 countries with figures for both 2013 and 2023. China fell the most, -19.8.

Rose the most since 2013

  • Nigeria: +13.5
  • Qatar: +10.4
  • Niger: +8.2
  • Benin: +7.6
  • Togo: +5.8

Fell the most since 2013

  • China: -19.8
  • Singapore: -10.3
  • Belgium: -7.2
  • Luxembourg: -6.9
  • North Macedonia: -6.7

From the change column: countries whose latest figure is for 2023 and that have a 2013 figure.

By region

population-weighted exposure to PM2.5 by World Bank region: countries with a figure, highest, lowest and median.
RegionCountriesHighestLowestMedian, each country counted once
East Asia & Pacific33Mongolia (42.7)Northern Mariana Islands (2.7)9.8
Europe & Central Asia52Tajikistan (33.3)Greenland (1.6)12.9
Latin America & Caribbean35Peru (31.1)Bahamas (5.3)15.3
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan23Qatar (107.8)Malta (10.8)40.2
North America3United States (7)Bermuda (4.6)6.6
South Asia6Bangladesh (69.3)Maldives (11.2)41.6
Sub-Saharan Africa48Nigeria (65.7)Seychelles (9.3)27.5

Where major economies rank

  • United States: 7 in 2023, rank 175 of 200.
  • China: 32 in 2023, rank 43 of 200.
  • India: 54.1 in 2023, rank 11 of 200.
  • Japan: 11.5 in 2023, rank 143 of 200.
  • Germany: 8.8 in 2023, rank 163 of 200.
  • United Kingdom: 9.5 in 2023, rank 158 of 200.
  • France: 8.2 in 2023, rank 169 of 200.
  • Brazil: 13.4 in 2023, rank 133 of 200.
  • Canada: 6.6 in 2023, rank 179 of 200.
  • Nigeria: 65.7 in 2023, rank 4 of 200.

Compare these economies side by side

The 10 highest: population-weighted exposure to PM2.5

  1. Qatar: 107.8 (2023)
  2. Saudi Arabia: 73.5 (2023)
  3. Bangladesh: 69.3 (2023)
  4. Nigeria: 65.7 (2023)
  5. Niger: 65.2 (2023)
  6. Kuwait: 62.3 (2023)
  7. Pakistan: 58.4 (2023)
  8. United Arab Emirates: 57.2 (2023)
  9. Bahrain: 56.6 (2023)
  10. Cameroon: 55.6 (2023)

The 10 lowest: population-weighted exposure to PM2.5

  1. Greenland: 1.6 (2023)
  2. Northern Mariana Islands: 2.7 (2023)
  3. Guam: 3.5 (2023)
  4. Micronesia: 3.5 (2023)
  5. Kiribati: 3.9 (2023)
  6. Marshall Islands: 4.1 (2023)
  7. American Samoa: 4.3 (2023)
  8. Finland: 4.6 (2023)
  9. Samoa: 4.6 (2023)
  10. Bermuda: 4.6 (2023)

About air pollution

PM2.5 are particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, fine enough to reach deep into the lungs and the bloodstream. The World Health Organization’s 2021 air quality guideline for the annual average is 5 micrograms per cubic meter.

These estimates combine satellite observations, chemical transport models and ground monitors, from the Global Burden of Disease study as published by the World Bank. They include natural sources such as desert dust, which is why some countries near large deserts rank high even with little industry.

Rankings built from city monitor readings, such as those published by air quality companies, measure something else: the air in the cities that have monitors, not the exposure of a whole population. The two can rank countries very differently.

About these figures

Definition. Population-weighted exposure to ambient PM2.5 pollution is defined as the average level of exposure of a nation's population to concentrations of suspended particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and causing severe health damage. Exposure is calculated by weighting mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 by population in both urban and rural areas. (The publisher's definition of “PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter)”, copied from the World Bank (World Development Indicators) on 2026-09-07.)

Unit. micrograms per cubic meter

Coverage. 200 of 217 countries and territories have a figure. Every figure is for 2023.

The median and any other summary on this page count each country once, so they are not world averages. Values are rounded for display; the CSV download has full precision.

The publisher revises past years when it updates the series, so a figure here can change after it first appears.

Questions about these figures

Which country has the highest population-weighted exposure to PM2.5?

Qatar has the highest population-weighted exposure to PM2.5: 107.8 in 2023. The figures come from the World Bank World Development Indicators.

Which country has the lowest population-weighted exposure to PM2.5?

Greenland has the lowest population-weighted exposure to PM2.5: 1.6 in 2023.

How many countries are ranked, and for which years?

200 countries and territories have a figure in this ranking. Every figure is for 2023.

What is the median population-weighted exposure to PM2.5 across countries?

The median is 17.3: half of the 200 countries are above it and half below. Every figure is for 2023. It counts each country once, so it is not a world average.

Which country's population-weighted exposure to PM2.5 changed the most since 2013?

Among the 200 countries with figures for both 2013 and 2023, China changed the most: -19.8 since 2013, to 32 in 2023.

Where does the United States rank on population-weighted exposure to PM2.5?

The United States ranks 175 of 200, at 7 in 2023.

Which country has the highest population-weighted exposure to PM2.5 in each region?

East Asia & Pacific: Mongolia (42.7); Europe & Central Asia: Tajikistan (33.3); Latin America & Caribbean: Peru (31.1); Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Qatar (107.8); North America: the United States (7); South Asia: Bangladesh (69.3); Sub-Saharan Africa: Nigeria (65.7). Figures are for 2023 unless another year is shown. Regions follow the World Bank's groups.

Use and cite this data

  • The download button above saves this table's rows as CSV, filtered and in the order shown. The API also serves this indicator as CSV: statisticsoftheworld.com/api/v1/rankings/EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3?format=csv. It lists the stored latest figures highest first under the publisher's country names and can include the World aggregate, so its rows and ranks can differ from this table.
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  • Each country has its own row link, such as https://statisticsoftheworld.com/air-pollution-by-country#QAT.
  • Spotted an error? Report a data correction. How to cite: citation guide.

Statistics of the World. Air Pollution by Country: 2023 Rankings. Data: World Bank World Development Indicators, figures for 2023. https://statisticsoftheworld.com/air-pollution-by-country