⚠️ Unconfirmedhealth2022
Short-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM₂.₅) — population-weighted mean concentration
Population-weighted exposure to PM₂.₅ (fine particle air pollution) by country, 2022—an official, comparable measure of what people actually breathe.
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Key Insights
Global Average
21.3µg/m³
Median: 18.5µg/m³
Countries Covered
162
with available data
Highest
Bangladesh
74.3µg/m³
Lowest
Iceland
4.0µg/m³
Top 5 Countries
1Bangladesh74.3µg/m³
2India58.1µg/m³
3Algeria54.7µg/m³
4Pakistan54.1µg/m³
5Bahrain52.4µg/m³
By Region
Asia31.5µg/m³(25 countries)
Africa29.8µg/m³(9 countries)
Other22.2µg/m³(84 countries)
North America15.0µg/m³(3 countries)
South America13.9µg/m³(7 countries)
Key Findings
- •Population-weighted PM₂.₅ exposure varies by more than an order of magnitude across countries, reflecting major differences in energy systems, transport, and geography.
- •South Asia and parts of the Middle East and North/West Africa tend to have the highest exposure, while Northern Europe and Oceania are among the lowest.
- •Because the metric is population-weighted, large urban populations can strongly influence national exposure even if rural areas are cleaner.
Country Rankings
Top 10 Countries
Bottom 10 Countries
Data Analysis
Value Distribution
How countries are distributed across the value range
Low (3.3µg/m³)High (92.3µg/m³)
Regional Comparison
Average values by world region (Global avg: 21.3µg/m³)
Asia (25)
Africa (9)
Other (84)
North America (3)
South America (7)
Europe (32)
Oceania (2)
About This Statistic
This statistic measures a country’s population-weighted annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅, particles ≤2.5 µm). Because it is population-weighted, it reflects the air pollution level experienced by the average resident (not just geographic averages), making it a powerful indicator of real-world exposure.
The World Health Organization (WHO) produces this as part of its Global Health Observatory, using a harmonized approach that combines ground monitoring where available with satellite observations, chemical transport models, and population distribution. PM₂.₅ is closely linked to cardiovascular and respiratory disease risk, and it varies widely across countries due to differences in energy use, transport, industry, dust, biomass burning, and meteorology.
Full Data
| Rank ↑ | Country ↕ | Value ↕ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh | 74.3µg/m³ |
| 2 | India | 58.1µg/m³ |
| 3 | Algeria | 54.7µg/m³ |
| 4 | Pakistan | 54.1µg/m³ |
| 5 | Bahrain | 52.4µg/m³ |
| 6 | Qatar | 51.6µg/m³ |
| 7 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 49.0µg/m³ |
| 8 | Nepal | 45.5µg/m³ |
| 9 | Kuwait | 44.7µg/m³ |
| 10 | Saudi Arabia | 44.3µg/m³ |
| 11 | Egypt | 42.6µg/m³ |
| 12 | Iraq | 41.6µg/m³ |
| 13 | Niger | 39.7µg/m³ |
| 14 | Myanmar | 39.6µg/m³ |
| 15 | United Arab Emirates | 39.5µg/m³ |
| 16 | Oman | 37.9µg/m³ |
| 17 | Burundi | 37.5µg/m³ |
| 18 | Sudan | 35.6µg/m³ |
| 19 | Ghana | 35.5µg/m³ |
| 20 | Yemen | 35.5µg/m³ |
| 21 | Islamic Republic of Iran | 35.2µg/m³ |
| 22 | Libya | 35.0µg/m³ |
| 23 | Republic of the Congo | 34.1µg/m³ |
| 24 | South Sudan | 33.9µg/m³ |
| 25 | Bulgaria | 33.1µg/m³ |
| 26 | Syrian Arab Republic | 33.0µg/m³ |
| 27 | People's Republic of China | 32.5µg/m³ |
| 28 | Cambodia | 32.4µg/m³ |
| 29 | North Korea | 31.2µg/m³ |
| 30 | Angola | 30.2µg/m³ |
| 31 | Senegal | 29.8µg/m³ |
| 32 | Chad | 29.7µg/m³ |
| 33 | Botswana | 29.4µg/m³ |
| 34 | Mali | 29.1µg/m³ |
| 35 | Uzbekistan | 29.0µg/m³ |
| 36 | Nigeria | 28.6µg/m³ |
| 37 | Sri Lanka | 28.5µg/m³ |
| 38 | Eritrea | 28.2µg/m³ |
| 39 | Indonesia | 27.8µg/m³ |
| 40 | Haiti | 27.5µg/m³ |
| 41 | Guinea | 26.8µg/m³ |
| 42 | Tajikistan | 26.2µg/m³ |
| 43 | Brunei Darussalam | 26.2µg/m³ |
| 44 | Djibouti | 26.0µg/m³ |
| 45 | Burkina Faso | 26.0µg/m³ |
| 46 | Sierra Leone | 25.9µg/m³ |
| 47 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 25.4µg/m³ |
| 48 | Republic of The Gambia | 25.3µg/m³ |
| 49 | Lebanon | 25.1µg/m³ |
| 50 | Vietnam | 25.1µg/m³ |
| 51 | Central African Republic | 24.8µg/m³ |
| 52 | Togo | 24.3µg/m³ |
| 53 | Cameroon | 24.2µg/m³ |
| 54 | Somalia | 24.0µg/m³ |
| 55 | Dominican Republic | 23.0µg/m³ |
| 56 | Zimbabwe | 22.7µg/m³ |
| 57 | Kenya | 22.6µg/m³ |
| 58 | State of Palestine | 22.4µg/m³ |
| 59 | Jordan | 22.0µg/m³ |
| 60 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 21.7µg/m³ |
| 61 | Cote d'Ivoire | 20.9µg/m³ |
| 62 | Honduras | 20.6µg/m³ |
| 63 | Liberia | 20.3µg/m³ |
| 64 | Malawi | 20.2µg/m³ |
| 65 | Philippines | 20.1µg/m³ |
| 66 | Bolivia | 20.1µg/m³ |
| 67 | Mexico | 19.8µg/m³ |
| 68 | Thailand | 19.8µg/m³ |
| 69 | Cuba | 19.7µg/m³ |
| 70 | Morocco | 19.6µg/m³ |
| 71 | Armenia | 19.4µg/m³ |
| 72 | Cyprus | 19.2µg/m³ |
| 73 | Uganda | 19.2µg/m³ |
| 74 | El Salvador | 19.0µg/m³ |
| 75 | Madagascar | 18.9µg/m³ |
| 76 | Solomon Islands | 18.9µg/m³ |
| 77 | Guatemala | 18.8µg/m³ |
| 78 | United Republic of Tanzania | 18.8µg/m³ |
| 79 | Peru | 18.6µg/m³ |
| 80 | Austria | 18.6µg/m³ |
| 81 | Gabon | 18.5µg/m³ |
| 82 | South Korea | 18.4µg/m³ |
| 83 | Tunisia | 18.3µg/m³ |
| 84 | Mongolia | 18.0µg/m³ |
| 85 | Mauritania | 17.8µg/m³ |
| 86 | Kyrgyzstan | 17.6µg/m³ |
| 87 | South Africa | 17.5µg/m³ |
| 88 | Zambia | 17.5µg/m³ |
| 89 | Malaysia | 17.4µg/m³ |
| 90 | Rwanda | 17.2µg/m³ |
| 91 | Türkiye | 17.2µg/m³ |
| 92 | Israel | 17.1µg/m³ |
| 93 | Ethiopia | 16.9µg/m³ |
| 94 | Venezuela | 16.9µg/m³ |
| 95 | Afghanistan | 16.8µg/m³ |
| 96 | Lesotho | 16.7µg/m³ |
| 97 | Papua New Guinea | 16.4µg/m³ |
| 98 | Bhutan | 16.2µg/m³ |
| 99 | Barbados | 16.0µg/m³ |
| 100 | Nicaragua | 15.7µg/m³ |
| 101 | Jamaica | 15.6µg/m³ |
| 102 | Paraguay | 15.5µg/m³ |
| 103 | Poland | 15.1µg/m³ |
| 104 | Colombia | 15.0µg/m³ |
| 105 | Serbia | 14.9µg/m³ |
| 106 | Cape Verde | 14.8µg/m³ |
| 107 | Montenegro | 14.8µg/m³ |
| 108 | Romania | 14.7µg/m³ |
| 109 | Kazakhstan | 14.4µg/m³ |
| 110 | Moldova, Republic of | 14.3µg/m³ |
| 111 | Argentina | 14.1µg/m³ |
| 112 | Ecuador | 13.8µg/m³ |
| 113 | Czech Republic | 13.6µg/m³ |
| 114 | The Republic of North Macedonia | 13.6µg/m³ |
| 115 | Benin | 13.5µg/m³ |
| 116 | Singapore | 13.5µg/m³ |
| 117 | Chile | 13.2µg/m³ |
| 118 | Namibia | 13.0µg/m³ |
| 119 | Italy | 12.7µg/m³ |
| 120 | Panama | 12.7µg/m³ |
| 121 | Ukraine | 12.7µg/m³ |
| 122 | Greece | 12.6µg/m³ |
| 123 | Guyana | 12.4µg/m³ |
| 124 | Brazil | 12.4µg/m³ |
| 125 | Hungary | 12.3µg/m³ |
| 126 | Mauritius | 12.2µg/m³ |
| 127 | Slovakia | 12.2µg/m³ |
| 128 | Albania | 12.1µg/m³ |
| 129 | Croatia | 12.0µg/m³ |
| 130 | Georgia | 11.8µg/m³ |
| 131 | Russian Federation | 11.5µg/m³ |
| 132 | Slovenia | 11.5µg/m³ |
| 133 | Belarus | 10.9µg/m³ |
| 134 | Japan | 10.8µg/m³ |
| 135 | Latvia | 10.7µg/m³ |
| 136 | Belgium | 10.7µg/m³ |
| 137 | Faroe Islands | 10.6µg/m³ |
| 138 | Lithuania | 10.5µg/m³ |
| 139 | Uruguay | 10.5µg/m³ |
| 140 | France | 10.3µg/m³ |
| 141 | Belize | 10.2µg/m³ |
| 142 | Germany | 10.0µg/m³ |
| 143 | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.0µg/m³ |
| 144 | Spain | 9.9µg/m³ |
| 145 | Costa Rica | 9.6µg/m³ |
| 146 | Netherlands | 9.6µg/m³ |
| 147 | Denmark | 9.5µg/m³ |
| 148 | Luxembourg | 9.5µg/m³ |
| 149 | Estonia | 9.2µg/m³ |
| 150 | Cayman Islands | 9.1µg/m³ |
| 151 | Portugal | 8.6µg/m³ |
| 152 | Switzerland | 8.6µg/m³ |
| 153 | United Kingdom | 8.5µg/m³ |
| 154 | Ireland | 7.6µg/m³ |
| 155 | New Zealand | 6.8µg/m³ |
| 156 | Fiji | 6.4µg/m³ |
| 157 | Canada | 6.3µg/m³ |
| 158 | Norway | 6.2µg/m³ |
| 159 | Finland | 6.1µg/m³ |
| 160 | Australia | 6.0µg/m³ |
| 161 | Sweden | 5.1µg/m³ |
| 162 | Iceland | 4.0µg/m³ |
Showing 162 of 162 countries
Topics
Data Source
This data comes from World Health Organization (WHO) — Global Health Observatory (2022).
View Original Source