Air Pollution by Country
What Is Air Pollution?
Air Pollution (PM2.5 mean annual exposure) measures the average concentration of fine particulate matter (particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers) in micrograms per cubic meter. PM2.5 particles come from vehicle emissions, industrial processes, and burning fuels. Because these particles can penetrate deep into the lungs, this metric indicates population exposure to harmful air quality.
Why Air Pollution Matters to a Country’s Progress
- Signals public health risks, since high PM2.5 levels lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
- Reflects economic productivity, as unhealthy workers take more sick days and healthcare costs rise.
- Informs environmental policy, because governments use this data to regulate emissions and improve urban planning.
Ranking Highlights
- Egypt tops the progress rankings in Air Pollution (PM2.5), recording a drop from 67.75 to 54.86. Afghanistan follows with a reduction from 58.33 to 46.09, while Nepal rounds out the top three, falling from 57.28 to 45.72.
- Across all 192 countries, the average year-over-year change was -0.36 percentage points with a median change of -0.16 percentage points.
- Overall, 111 countries improved in this area while 81 worsened. Click on a country to open the full country scorecard and see how it performs across a range of key indicators.
| Rank | Country | Most Recent Year | Previous Year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Egypt | 54.86 (2020) | 67.75 (2019) | -12.89 pp |
| 2 |  Afghanistan | 46.09 (2020) | 58.33 (2019) | -12.24 pp |
| 3 |  Nepal | 45.72 (2020) | 57.28 (2019) | -11.55 pp |
| 4 |  India | 48.40 (2020) | 59.89 (2019) | -11.50 pp |
| 5 |  Pakistan | 43.00 (2020) | 52.86 (2019) | -9.86 pp |
| 6 |  Bangladesh | 42.38 (2020) | 50.37 (2019) | -7.98 pp |
| 7 |  Yemen | 34.83 (2020) | 41.64 (2019) | -6.81 pp |
| 8 |  Bhutan | 23.95 (2020) | 30.05 (2019) | -6.11 pp |
| 9 |  Sudan | 45.84 (2020) | 51.94 (2019) | -6.10 pp |
| 10 |  United Arab Emirates | 36.31 (2020) | 41.96 (2019) | -5.65 pp |
| 11 |  Saudi Arabia | 53.15 (2020) | 58.62 (2019) | -5.47 pp |
| 12 |  Qatar | 75.66 (2020) | 81.01 (2019) | -5.35 pp |
| 13 |  Oman | 39.58 (2020) | 44.90 (2019) | -5.31 pp |
| 14 |  Eritrea | 32.35 (2020) | 36.27 (2019) | -3.91 pp |
| 15 |  Djibouti | 35.92 (2020) | 39.72 (2019) | -3.80 pp |
| 16 |  Libya | 32.97 (2020) | 36.48 (2019) | -3.51 pp |
| 17 |  Tajikistan | 37.05 (2020) | 40.29 (2019) | -3.24 pp |
| 18 |  Singapore | 13.87 (2020) | 17.08 (2019) | -3.21 pp |
| 19 |  China | 34.81 (2020) | 37.55 (2019) | -2.74 pp |
| 20 |  Chad | 49.14 (2020) | 51.87 (2019) | -2.73 pp |
| 21 |  Suriname | 27.31 (2020) | 29.99 (2019) | -2.68 pp |
| 22 |  South Sudan | 30.74 (2020) | 33.36 (2019) | -2.62 pp |
| 23 |  Jordan | 28.77 (2020) | 31.26 (2019) | -2.49 pp |
| 24 |  Eswatini | 18.78 (2020) | 21.17 (2019) | -2.38 pp |
| 25 |  Kyrgyzstan | 24.38 (2020) | 26.76 (2019) | -2.38 pp |
| 26 |  Uzbekistan | 31.96 (2020) | 34.13 (2019) | -2.17 pp |
| 27 |  Türkiye | 21.61 (2020) | 23.70 (2019) | -2.08 pp |
| 28 |  Armenia | 30.58 (2020) | 32.66 (2019) | -2.08 pp |
| 29 |  Peru | 27.04 (2020) | 29.11 (2019) | -2.08 pp |
| 30 |  Syria | 24.71 (2020) | 26.47 (2019) | -1.77 pp |
| 31 |  Iran | 32.29 (2020) | 34.02 (2019) | -1.73 pp |
| 32 |  Malaysia | 16.19 (2020) | 17.82 (2019) | -1.63 pp |
| 33 |  Bolivia | 22.88 (2020) | 24.49 (2019) | -1.61 pp |
| 34 |  Indonesia | 17.88 (2020) | 19.43 (2019) | -1.55 pp |
| 35 |  Cyprus | 13.51 (2020) | 15.01 (2019) | -1.50 pp |
| 36 |  Bahrain | 58.50 (2020) | 59.97 (2019) | -1.47 pp |
| 37 |  Mongolia | 29.66 (2020) | 31.08 (2019) | -1.43 pp |
| 38 |  Ethiopia | 27.31 (2020) | 28.69 (2019) | -1.38 pp |
| 39 |  Mauritania | 70.82 (2020) | 72.20 (2019) | -1.38 pp |
| 40 |  Lebanon | 19.23 (2020) | 20.60 (2019) | -1.37 pp |
| 41 |  Philippines | 20.29 (2020) | 21.53 (2019) | -1.24 pp |
| 42 |  North Korea | 29.93 (2020) | 31.12 (2019) | -1.20 pp |
| 43 |  Ecuador | 16.66 (2020) | 17.77 (2019) | -1.11 pp |
| 44 |  Australia | 8.25 (2020) | 9.33 (2019) | -1.08 pp |
| 45 |  Lithuania | 9.22 (2020) | 10.25 (2019) | -1.03 pp |
| 46 |  Moldova | 14.76 (2020) | 15.77 (2019) | -1.02 pp |
| 47 |  Belarus | 14.61 (2020) | 15.62 (2019) | -1.01 pp |
| 48 |  Israel | 18.60 (2020) | 19.56 (2019) | -0.96 pp |
| 49 |  New Zealand | 6.49 (2020) | 7.42 (2019) | -0.94 pp |
| 50 |  Seychelles | 8.50 (2020) | 9.43 (2019) | -0.93 pp |
| 51 |  Cameroon | 39.81 (2020) | 40.74 (2019) | -0.92 pp |
| 52 |  Latvia | 11.60 (2020) | 12.49 (2019) | -0.88 pp |
| 53 |  Malta | 11.72 (2020) | 12.59 (2019) | -0.87 pp |
| 54 |  Kazakhstan | 20.03 (2020) | 20.86 (2019) | -0.83 pp |
| 55 |  Poland | 17.96 (2020) | 18.77 (2019) | -0.81 pp |
| 56 |  Estonia | 6.15 (2020) | 6.85 (2019) | -0.70 pp |
| 57 |  Ukraine | 14.90 (2020) | 15.58 (2019) | -0.68 pp |
| 58 |  Turkmenistan | 19.60 (2020) | 20.25 (2019) | -0.65 pp |
| 59 |  Guyana | 25.46 (2020) | 26.09 (2019) | -0.63 pp |
| 60 |  Mali | 56.78 (2020) | 57.39 (2019) | -0.61 pp |
| 61 |  Georgia | 17.04 (2020) | 17.62 (2019) | -0.57 pp |
| 62 |  Denmark | 9.07 (2020) | 9.61 (2019) | -0.54 pp |
| 63 |  Greece | 14.41 (2020) | 14.94 (2019) | -0.53 pp |
| 64 |  Austria | 10.93 (2020) | 11.47 (2019) | -0.53 pp |
| 65 |  Hungary | 14.14 (2020) | 14.64 (2019) | -0.51 pp |
| 66 |  Fiji | 12.42 (2020) | 12.91 (2019) | -0.49 pp |
| 67 |  Finland | 4.90 (2020) | 5.38 (2019) | -0.48 pp |
| 68 |  Central African Republic | 34.43 (2020) | 34.91 (2019) | -0.48 pp |
| 69 |  Netherlands | 10.89 (2020) | 11.36 (2019) | -0.48 pp |
| 70 |  Slovakia | 15.39 (2020) | 15.84 (2019) | -0.45 pp |
| 71 |  Sweden | 5.64 (2020) | 6.07 (2019) | -0.43 pp |
| 72 |  Palau | 7.33 (2020) | 7.75 (2019) | -0.42 pp |
| 73 |  Panama | 11.47 (2020) | 11.88 (2019) | -0.41 pp |
| 74 |  Russia | 11.27 (2020) | 11.68 (2019) | -0.41 pp |
| 75 |  Bulgaria | 17.15 (2020) | 17.54 (2019) | -0.39 pp |
| 76 |  Switzerland | 9.06 (2020) | 9.45 (2019) | -0.39 pp |
| 77 |  Iceland | 5.11 (2020) | 5.48 (2019) | -0.38 pp |
| 78 |  Germany | 10.29 (2020) | 10.64 (2019) | -0.35 pp |
| 79 |  Brunei | 7.60 (2020) | 7.95 (2019) | -0.35 pp |
| 80 |  Solomon Islands | 13.95 (2020) | 14.30 (2019) | -0.35 pp |
| 81 |  Montenegro | 17.98 (2020) | 18.32 (2019) | -0.34 pp |
| 82 |  Colombia | 14.18 (2020) | 14.52 (2019) | -0.33 pp |
| 83 |  Norway | 6.06 (2020) | 6.38 (2019) | -0.33 pp |
| 84 |  Samoa | 12.55 (2020) | 12.87 (2019) | -0.32 pp |
| 85 |  Maldives | 12.01 (2020) | 12.31 (2019) | -0.30 pp |
| 86 |  Botswana | 18.91 (2020) | 19.20 (2019) | -0.30 pp |
| 87 |  Azerbaijan | 21.73 (2020) | 22.02 (2019) | -0.30 pp |
| 88 |  Kiribati | 11.26 (2020) | 11.55 (2019) | -0.29 pp |
| 89 |  Tonga | 12.48 (2020) | 12.76 (2019) | -0.28 pp |
| 90 |  Vanuatu | 14.08 (2020) | 14.34 (2019) | -0.25 pp |
| 91 |  Italy | 14.66 (2020) | 14.89 (2019) | -0.23 pp |
| 92 |  France | 9.60 (2020) | 9.83 (2019) | -0.22 pp |
| 93 |  Micronesia | 12.11 (2020) | 12.34 (2019) | -0.22 pp |
| 94 |  Timor-Leste | 17.41 (2020) | 17.63 (2019) | -0.22 pp |
| 95 |  Congo | 28.57 (2020) | 28.75 (2019) | -0.17 pp |
| 96 |  Brazil | 12.18 (2020) | 12.35 (2019) | -0.17 pp |
| 97 |  Romania | 14.85 (2020) | 15.01 (2019) | -0.16 pp |
| 98 |  Serbia | 22.51 (2020) | 22.64 (2019) | -0.13 pp |
| 99 |  Mauritius | 9.15 (2020) | 9.28 (2019) | -0.12 pp |
| 100 |  Czech Republic | 14.11 (2020) | 14.23 (2019) | -0.12 pp |
| 101 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 26.60 (2020) | 26.72 (2019) | -0.11 pp |
| 102 |  Laos | 22.32 (2020) | 22.43 (2019) | -0.11 pp |
| 103 |  Japan | 12.84 (2020) | 12.94 (2019) | -0.10 pp |
| 104 |  Tuvalu | 5.92 (2020) | 6.01 (2019) | -0.09 pp |
| 105 |  Monaco | 9.58 (2020) | 9.66 (2019) | -0.08 pp |
| 106 |  Marshall Islands | 10.73 (2020) | 10.80 (2019) | -0.08 pp |
| 107 |  South Korea | 25.94 (2020) | 26.02 (2019) | -0.07 pp |
| 108 |  Madagascar | 12.75 (2020) | 12.80 (2019) | -0.04 pp |
| 109 |  United Kingdom | 9.91 (2020) | 9.95 (2019) | -0.03 pp |
| 110 |  Paraguay | 10.09 (2020) | 10.12 (2019) | -0.03 pp |
| 111 |  Vietnam | 20.80 (2020) | 20.83 (2019) | -0.03 pp |
| 112 |  Belgium | 11.22 (2020) | 11.21 (2019) | +0.00 pp |
| 113 |  Albania | 15.71 (2020) | 15.71 (2019) | +0.00 pp |
| 114 |  Nauru | 6.06 (2020) | 6.03 (2019) | +0.04 pp |
| 115 |  Andorra | 9.08 (2020) | 9.01 (2019) | +0.07 pp |
| 116 |  Myanmar | 32.32 (2020) | 32.16 (2019) | +0.15 pp |
| 117 |  Sri Lanka | 19.96 (2020) | 19.78 (2019) | +0.18 pp |
| 118 |  San Marino | 10.69 (2020) | 10.49 (2019) | +0.20 pp |
| 119 |  Croatia | 16.12 (2020) | 15.92 (2019) | +0.21 pp |
| 120 |  Luxembourg | 8.68 (2020) | 8.46 (2019) | +0.22 pp |
| 121 |  Spain | 9.58 (2020) | 9.35 (2019) | +0.23 pp |
| 122 |  North Macedonia | 26.12 (2020) | 25.88 (2019) | +0.24 pp |
| 123 |  Uruguay | 10.57 (2020) | 10.30 (2019) | +0.27 pp |
| 124 |  Ireland | 8.17 (2020) | 7.89 (2019) | +0.28 pp |
| 125 |  Mexico | 14.99 (2020) | 14.71 (2019) | +0.29 pp |
| 126 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | 26.65 (2020) | 26.34 (2019) | +0.31 pp |
| 127 |  Dominican Republic | 19.83 (2020) | 19.50 (2019) | +0.33 pp |
| 128 |  Canada | 6.57 (2020) | 6.23 (2019) | +0.34 pp |
| 129 |  Jamaica | 17.41 (2020) | 17.07 (2019) | +0.34 pp |
| 130 |  Bahamas | 18.94 (2020) | 18.57 (2019) | +0.37 pp |
| 131 |  Slovenia | 14.29 (2020) | 13.91 (2019) | +0.38 pp |
| 132 |  Morocco | 21.32 (2020) | 20.93 (2019) | +0.39 pp |
| 133 |  Grenada | 24.66 (2020) | 24.27 (2019) | +0.39 pp |
| 134 |  Barbados | 23.73 (2020) | 23.33 (2019) | +0.41 pp |
| 135 |  Venezuela | 15.26 (2020) | 14.85 (2019) | +0.41 pp |
| 136 |  Haiti | 21.35 (2020) | 20.94 (2019) | +0.41 pp |
| 137 |  Tunisia | 24.18 (2020) | 23.77 (2019) | +0.41 pp |
| 138 |  Papua New Guinea | 17.31 (2020) | 16.89 (2019) | +0.42 pp |
| 139 |  Iraq | 38.18 (2020) | 37.73 (2019) | +0.44 pp |
| 140 |  Portugal | 8.45 (2020) | 7.98 (2019) | +0.47 pp |
| 141 |  Mozambique | 20.08 (2020) | 19.60 (2019) | +0.48 pp |
| 142 |  Argentina | 14.91 (2020) | 14.40 (2019) | +0.51 pp |
| 143 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 23.93 (2020) | 23.41 (2019) | +0.52 pp |
| 144 |  Chile | 23.28 (2020) | 22.73 (2019) | +0.54 pp |
| 145 |  Angola | 25.15 (2020) | 24.60 (2019) | +0.55 pp |
| 146 |  South Africa | 23.75 (2020) | 23.19 (2019) | +0.56 pp |
| 147 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 25.60 (2020) | 25.01 (2019) | +0.59 pp |
| 148 |  Namibia | 20.00 (2020) | 19.39 (2019) | +0.61 pp |
| 149 |  Dominica | 20.67 (2020) | 20.04 (2019) | +0.62 pp |
| 150 |  Thailand | 31.01 (2020) | 30.38 (2019) | +0.62 pp |
| 151 |  United States | 7.82 (2020) | 7.18 (2019) | +0.64 pp |
| 152 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 19.70 (2020) | 19.06 (2019) | +0.64 pp |
| 153 |  Saint Lucia | 23.76 (2020) | 23.07 (2019) | +0.69 pp |
| 154 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 8.59 (2020) | 7.87 (2019) | +0.72 pp |
| 155 |  Burundi | 29.65 (2020) | 28.78 (2019) | +0.88 pp |
| 156 |  Guinea | 43.77 (2020) | 42.88 (2019) | +0.89 pp |
| 157 |  Cuba | 21.24 (2020) | 20.34 (2019) | +0.89 pp |
| 158 |  Costa Rica | 14.31 (2020) | 13.38 (2019) | +0.93 pp |
| 159 |  Kuwait | 53.72 (2020) | 52.78 (2019) | +0.93 pp |
| 160 |  Zimbabwe | 19.49 (2020) | 18.53 (2019) | +0.96 pp |
| 161 |  Zambia | 24.31 (2020) | 23.20 (2019) | +1.11 pp |
| 162 |  Algeria | 25.55 (2020) | 24.39 (2019) | +1.16 pp |
| 163 |  Cambodia | 24.14 (2020) | 22.97 (2019) | +1.17 pp |
| 164 |  Rwanda | 31.29 (2020) | 30.01 (2019) | +1.28 pp |
| 165 |  Malawi | 23.70 (2020) | 22.34 (2019) | +1.36 pp |
| 166 |  Guatemala | 21.64 (2020) | 20.21 (2019) | +1.43 pp |
| 167 |  Comoros | 11.93 (2020) | 10.41 (2019) | +1.52 pp |
| 168 |  Somalia | 24.53 (2020) | 22.84 (2019) | +1.69 pp |
| 169 |  Guinea-Bissau | 50.21 (2020) | 48.50 (2019) | +1.71 pp |
| 170 |  El Salvador | 20.03 (2020) | 18.27 (2019) | +1.76 pp |
| 171 |  Nicaragua | 16.81 (2020) | 14.98 (2019) | +1.83 pp |
| 172 |  Honduras | 20.31 (2020) | 18.14 (2019) | +2.17 pp |
| 173 |  Lesotho | 23.44 (2020) | 21.18 (2019) | +2.26 pp |
| 174 |  Uganda | 33.81 (2020) | 31.49 (2019) | +2.32 pp |
| 175 |  Gabon | 29.96 (2020) | 27.52 (2019) | +2.43 pp |
| 176 |  Belize | 28.65 (2020) | 26.15 (2019) | +2.51 pp |
| 177 |  Cabo Verde | 42.32 (2020) | 39.35 (2019) | +2.97 pp |
| 178 |  Senegal | 63.74 (2020) | 60.34 (2019) | +3.40 pp |
| 179 |  Gambia | 58.36 (2020) | 54.87 (2019) | +3.49 pp |
| 180 | Equatorial Guinea | 35.38 (2020) | 31.55 (2019) | +3.83 pp |
| 181 |  Togo | 51.67 (2020) | 47.63 (2019) | +4.04 pp |
| 182 |  Tanzania | 25.08 (2020) | 20.78 (2019) | +4.30 pp |
| 183 |  Benin | 51.05 (2020) | 46.56 (2019) | +4.48 pp |
| 184 |  Ghana | 54.24 (2020) | 49.66 (2019) | +4.59 pp |
| 185 |  Sierra Leone | 43.22 (2020) | 38.59 (2019) | +4.63 pp |
| 186 |  Nigeria | 56.53 (2020) | 51.72 (2019) | +4.81 pp |
| 187 |  Kenya | 24.39 (2020) | 19.57 (2019) | +4.82 pp |
| 188 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 49.50 (2020) | 44.33 (2019) | +5.17 pp |
| 189 |  Liberia | 42.36 (2020) | 37.16 (2019) | +5.20 pp |
| 190 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 27.34 (2020) | 21.66 (2019) | +5.68 pp |
| 191 |  Burkina Faso | 58.47 (2020) | 50.71 (2019) | +7.76 pp |
| 192 |  Niger | 85.12 (2020) | 72.47 (2019) | +12.65 pp |
Source: World Bank. Only countries with complete data (both points within the past 10 years) are shown.
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