Countries ranked by Air pollution (PM2.5)
The average amount of fine dust (PM2.5) in the air people breathe. Lower is cleaner.
#1 Qatar (107.8 µg/m³), #2 Saudi Arabia (73.5 µg/m³), #3 Bangladesh (69.3 µg/m³). The last place is Micronesia (3.5 µg/m³).
How to read this number
The average annual level of PM2.5 (fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers) that a country’s population breathes. Urban and rural concentrations are weighted by population. The unit is micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m³).
PM2.5 can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause serious health damage. A lower number means cleaner air, but this is a national average and does not show differences between places or seasons.
- Countries listed: 192 (of 193)
- Data year: 2023
Map
Ranking table
Sorted from the highest value
| Rank | Country | Air pollution (PM2.5) | Year | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 & Herzegovina |
26.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 61 |  Laos |
26.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 62 |  Vietnam |
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 |  Philippines |
22.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 71 |  Israel |
21.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 72 |  South Korea |
21.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 73 |  North Macedonia |
21.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 74 |  North Korea |
21.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 75 |  Jamaica |
21.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 76 |  Indonesia |
20.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 77 |  Nicaragua |
20.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 78 |  Côte d’Ivoire |
20.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 79 |  Kenya |
20.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 80 |  Zambia |
20.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 81 |  Cape Verde |
20.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 82 |  Tanzania |
20.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 83 |  Kyrgyzstan |
20.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 84 |  Libya |
20.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 85 |  Angola |
19.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 86 |  Bulgaria |
19.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 87 |  Kazakhstan |
19.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 88 |  Cambodia |
19.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 89 |  Serbia |
19.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 90 |  Venezuela |
19.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 91 |  Tunisia |
18.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 92 |  Morocco |
18.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 93 |  Ecuador |
18.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 94 |  Georgia |
18.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 95 |  Somalia |
18.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 96 |  Montenegro |
18.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 97 |  Colombia |
18.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 98 |  Liberia |
17.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 99 |  Costa Rica |
17.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 100 |  Guyana |
16.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 101 |  Belize |
16.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 102 |  Eswatini |
16.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 103 |  Malawi |
16.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 104 |  Mexico |
16.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 105 |  Algeria |
16.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 106 |  Poland |
16.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 107 |  Cyprus |
16.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 108 |  Romania |
16.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 109 |  Malaysia |
15.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 110 |  Haiti |
15.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 111 |  Croatia |
15.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 112 |  Suriname |
15.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 113 |  Albania |
15.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 114 |  Paraguay |
15.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 115 |  Singapore |
15.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 116 |  Panama |
15.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 117 |  São Tomé & Príncipe |
15.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 118 |  Zimbabwe |
15.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 119 |  Moldova |
14.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 120 |  Ukraine |
14.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 121 |  Argentina |
14.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 122 |  Italy |
14.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 123 |  Namibia |
14.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 124 |  Greece |
14.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 125 |  Papua New Guinea |
14.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 126 |  Mauritius |
14.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 127 |  Trinidad & Tobago |
13.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 128 |  Mozambique |
13.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 129 |  Slovakia |
13.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 130 |  Hungary |
13.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 131 |  Dominican Republic |
13.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 132 |  Brazil |
13.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 133 |  Botswana |
13.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 134 |  Latvia |
13.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 135 |  Czechia |
12.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 136 |  San Marino |
12.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 137 |  Slovenia |
12.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 138 |  Madagascar |
12.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 139 |  Timor-Leste |
12.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 140 |  Belarus |
12.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 141 |  Russia |
11.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 142 |  Dominica |
11.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 143 |  Japan |
11.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 144 |  Monaco |
11.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 145 |  Maldives |
11.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 146 |  Grenada |
11.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 147 |  Barbados |
10.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 148 |  Uruguay |
10.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 149 |  Malta |
10.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 150 |  Lithuania |
10.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 151 |  St. Vincent & Grenadines |
10.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 152 |  St. Lucia |
10.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 153 |  Comoros |
10.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 154 |  Spain |
10.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 155 |  Austria |
10.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 156 |  Solomon Islands |
9.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 157 |  United Kingdom |
9.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 158 |  Cuba |
9.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 159 |  Seychelles |
9.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 160 |  Andorra |
8.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 161 |  St. Kitts & Nevis |
8.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 162 |  Germany |
8.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 163 |  Portugal |
8.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 164 |  Netherlands |
8.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 165 |  Belgium |
8.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 166 |  Antigua & Barbuda |
8.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 167 |  Switzerland |
8.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 168 |  France |
8.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 169 |  Brunei |
7.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 170 |  Ireland |
7.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 171 |  Denmark |
7.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 172 |  Luxembourg |
7.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 173 |  Vanuatu |
7.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 174 |  United States |
7.0 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 175 |  New Zealand |
6.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 176 |  Canada |
6.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 177 |  Fiji |
6.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 178 |  Australia |
6.4 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 179 |  Estonia |
5.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 180 |  Norway |
5.5 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 181 |  Bahamas |
5.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 182 |  Sweden |
5.3 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 183 |  Tuvalu |
5.2 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 184 |  Palau |
4.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 185 |  Iceland |
4.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 186 |  Nauru |
4.8 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 187 |  Tonga |
4.7 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 188 |  Samoa |
4.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 189 |  Finland |
4.6 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 190 |  Marshall Islands |
4.1 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 191 |  Kiribati |
3.9 µg/m³ | 2023 | |
| 192 |  Micronesia |
3.5 µg/m³ | 2023 |
No matching countries.
Each value is the latest year available for that country (see the Year column), so the years can differ from country to country.
Data is available for 192 of 193 countries. The rest are not listed.
Source: PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter), indicator EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3. Processed by this site. data.worldbank.org
How it has changed (1990–2023)
See how air pollution (PM2.5) has changed across the world’s countries from 1990 to 2023.
- The country ranked first is Qatar in both 1990 and 2023.
- Japan’s air pollution (PM2.5) went from 12.6 µg/m³ in 1990 to 11.5 µg/m³ in 2023 (down about 9%).
- Japan ranked #160 of 192 countries in 1990 and #143 of 192 in 2023.
| Country | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | 109.8 µg/m³ | 109.4 µg/m³ | 98.6 µg/m³ | 99.2 µg/m³ | 107.8 µg/m³ |
| Saudi Arabia | 52.6 µg/m³ | 62.6 µg/m³ | 71.1 µg/m³ | 68.4 µg/m³ | 73.5 µg/m³ |
| Bangladesh | 64.7 µg/m³ | 64.6 µg/m³ | 67.5 µg/m³ | 72.1 µg/m³ | 69.3 µg/m³ |
| Nigeria | 64.7 µg/m³ | 68.4 µg/m³ | 57.0 µg/m³ | 63.7 µg/m³ | 65.7 µg/m³ |
| Niger | 55.7 µg/m³ | 58.4 µg/m³ | 68.1 µg/m³ | 65.2 µg/m³ | 65.2 µg/m³ |
| Japan | 12.6 µg/m³ | 12.7 µg/m³ | 12.8 µg/m³ | 11.2 µg/m³ | 11.5 µg/m³ |
| Countries with data | 192 | 192 | 192 | 192 | 192 |
Explore next
- The color bar (legend) under the map shows how colors match values. Point at a country to see its number.
- Select a country name in the table to open its page with the capital, population, area and more.
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- CO₂ emissions (total)
- Energy use per person
- Renewable energy (share of final energy use)
- Electricity consumption per person
- Electricity from nuclear power (share of total)
- Electricity from hydropower (share of total)
- Greenhouse gas emissions (total)
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Other rankings
Geography & nature
- Total area
- Number of land borders
- Latitude of the capital
- Distance from Japan
- Forest area (share of land)
- Arable land (share of land)
- Protected land (share of land)
- Agricultural land (share of land)
- Average annual rainfall
- Freshwater resources per person
- Forest area
- Marine protected areas (share of territorial waters)
People & population
- Population
- Population density
- Population growth rate
- Urban population (share of people)
- Life expectancy
- Fertility rate
- Infant mortality rate
- Birth rate
- Share of people aged 65 and over
- Share of children aged 0–14
- Life expectancy of women
- Life expectancy of men
- Maternal mortality ratio
- City dwellers living in the largest city (share)
- Death rate (per 1,000 people)
- Under-5 mortality (per 1,000 births)
- Population aged 15–64 (share of population)
Economy
- GDP (total)
- GDP per capita
- GDP per capita (PPP)
- Economic growth rate
- Inflation rate
- Unemployment rate
- Exports (share of GDP)
- Imports (share of GDP)
- Agriculture (share of GDP)
- Industry (share of GDP)
- Services (share of GDP)
- Military spending (share of GDP)
- Income inequality (Gini index)
- Goods exports (total)
- Money sent home by workers abroad (share of GDP)
- Women in the labor force (share of women)
- Youth unemployment rate
- Cereal production
- Cereal yield (per hectare of farmland)
- Fish and seafood production (catch + farmed)
- Fish catch (from sea, rivers and lakes)
- Aquaculture (farmed fish and seafood)
- Livestock production growth (2014–16 = 100)
- Fertilizer use (per hectare of arable land)
- Manufacturing (share of GDP)
- Employment in agriculture (share of jobs)
- High-technology exports (share of manufactured exports)
- Foreign direct investment, inflows (share of GDP)
- Development aid received (share of national income)
- Labor force (number of people)
- Reserves of foreign currency and gold
- Extreme poverty (share living on less than $3.00 a day)
Daily life & technology
- Internet users (share of people)
- Mobile phone subscriptions
- Access to electricity (share of people)
- Health spending (share of GDP)
- Education spending (share of GDP)
- Hospital beds
- Doctors
- Research spending (share of GDP)
- Women in parliament (share of seats)
- University and college enrollment
- Fixed broadband subscriptions
- Air passengers carried
- Safe drinking water (share of people)
- Safe sanitation (share of people)
- Undernourishment (share of people)
- Clean cooking fuels (share of people)
- Road traffic deaths
- Measles vaccination (share of children)
- Secondary school enrollment (gross)
- Primary school completion rate
- Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people)
- Tuberculosis cases (per 100,000 people)
- Health spending per person
- Container port traffic (TEU)
Food & farming
- Wheat: production
- Rice: production
- Maize (corn): production
- Barley: production
- Sorghum: production
- Millet: production
- Oats: production
- Rye: production
- Potatoes: production
- Cassava: production
- Sweet potatoes: production
- Yams: production
- Soybeans: production
- Groundnuts (peanuts): production
- Rapeseed (canola): production
- Dry beans: production
- Chickpeas: production
- Lentils: production
- Dry peas: production
- Sunflower seeds: production
- Coconuts: production
- Palm oil: production
- Tomatoes: production
- Onions: production
- Cabbages: production
- Carrots (with turnips): production
- Cucumbers (with gherkins): production
- Lettuce (with chicory): production
- Cauliflower (with broccoli): production
- Eggplants (aubergines): production
- Green chilies and sweet peppers: production
- Mushrooms (with truffles): production
- Garlic: production
- Oranges: production
- Tangerines (mandarins): production
- Lemons (with limes): production
- Apples: production
- Bananas: production
- Grapes: production
- Mangoes (with guavas and mangosteens): production
- Pineapples: production
- Strawberries: production
- Watermelons: production
- Peaches (with nectarines): production
- Avocados: production
- Dates: production
- Olives: production
- Melons (cantaloupes and others): production
- Pears: production
- Plums (with sloes): production
- Apricots: production
- Cherries: production
- Papayas: production
- Grapefruits (with pomelos): production
- Almonds: production
- Walnuts: production
- Coffee: production
- Cocoa beans: production
- Tea: production
- Sugar cane: production
- Sugar beet: production
- Cotton (fibre): production
- Tobacco: production
- Black pepper (Piper spp.): production
- Ginger: production
- Beef (cattle meat): production
- Pork (pig meat): production
- Chicken meat: production
- Cow’s milk: production
- Hen eggs: production
- Honey: production
- Sheep meat (mutton and lamb): production
- Goat meat: production
- Goat’s milk: production
- Butter (with ghee): production
- Cheese (all kinds): production
- Whiteleg shrimp: production
- Giant tiger prawn: production
- Giant river prawn: production
- Nile tilapia: production
- Grass carp: production
- Silver carp: production
- Common carp: production
- Bighead carp: production
- African sharptooth catfish: production
- Milkfish: production
- Barramundi (giant sea perch): production
- Atlantic salmon: production
- Rainbow trout: production
- Gilthead seabream: production
- European seabass: production
- Pacific cupped oyster: production
- Skipjack tuna: production
- Yellowfin tuna: production
- Bigeye tuna: production
- Albacore: production
- Atlantic bluefin tuna: production
- Swordfish: production
- Atlantic herring: production
- Atlantic mackerel: production
- Atlantic cod: production
- Haddock: production
- Blue whiting: production
- European pilchard (sardine): production
- European anchovy: production
- European sprat: production
- Largehead hairtail (cutlassfish): production
- Common octopus: production
- Seaweeds and other aquatic plants: production
- Shrimps and prawns: production
- Crabs: production
- Lobsters: production
- Crayfish and other freshwater crustaceans: production
- Oysters: production
- Clams and cockles: production
- Scallops: production
- Mussels: production
- Squids, cuttlefish and octopuses: production
- Tunas, bonitos and billfishes: production
- Carps and other cyprinids: production
- Tilapias and other cichlids: production
- Herrings, sardines and anchovies: production
- Cods, hakes and haddocks: production
- Flatfishes (flounders, halibuts, soles): production
- Freshwater eels: production
- Sea urchins, sea cucumbers and other echinoderms: production
- Sharks and rays: production
- Cattle: number of animals
- Pigs: number of animals
- Chickens: number of animals
- Sheep: number of animals
- Goats: number of animals
- Horses: number of animals
- Buffaloes: number of animals
- Camels: number of animals
- Donkeys: number of animals
- Ducks: number of animals
- Turkeys: number of animals