PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO guideline value (% of total) by country
Percent of population exposed to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 that exceed the WHO guideline value is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 10 micrograms per cubic meter, the guideline value recommended by the World Health...
Countries reporting
194
Highest
100.0%
Afghanistan
Lowest
0.0%
New Zealand
Median
100.0%
Years covered
28
1990–2017
Data points
2,892
What the numbers show
PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO guideline value (% of total) is currently reported for 194 countries. The highest value is 100.0% in Afghanistan; the lowest is 0.0% in New Zealand.
The median across all reporting countries is 100.0%, and the mean is 88.8%.
Over the past decade 1 countries rose and 80 fell. The largest increase was in Cuba (up 0.0%), and the largest decrease in Brunei (down 100.0%).
PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO guidel: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afghanistan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Angola | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Albania | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | United Arab Emirates | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Armenia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | American Samoa | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Antigua and Barbuda | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Azerbaijan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Burundi | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Benin | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Burkina Faso | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bangladesh | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bahrain | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bahamas | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Belize | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bermuda | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Barbados | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bhutan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Botswana | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Central African Republic | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Cote d'Ivoire | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Cameroon | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Congo | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Comoros | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Cape Verde | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Cuba | 100.0% | 2017 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Cyprus | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Djibouti | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Dominica | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Algeria | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Egypt | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Eritrea | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Ethiopia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Micronesia (country) | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Gabon | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Georgia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Ghana | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Guinea | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Gambia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Guinea-Bissau | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Equatorial Guinea | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Greece | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Grenada | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Guatemala | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Haiti | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Hungary | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | India | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Iran | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Iraq | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Israel | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Jamaica | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Jordan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Kenya | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Cambodia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Kiribati | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | South Korea | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Kuwait | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Laos | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Lebanon | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Liberia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Libya | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Saint Lucia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Lesotho | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Morocco | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Moldova | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Madagascar | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Marshall Islands | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | North Macedonia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Mali | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Malta | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Myanmar | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Montenegro | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Mozambique | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Mauritania | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Mauritius | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Malawi | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Namibia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Niger | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Nigeria | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Nepal | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Oman | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Pakistan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | North Korea | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Palestine | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Qatar | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Rwanda | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Sudan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Senegal | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Singapore | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Sierra Leone | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | El Salvador | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Somalia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Serbia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | South Sudan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Sao Tome and Principe | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Suriname | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Slovakia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Eswatini | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Seychelles | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Syria | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Chad | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Togo | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Thailand | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Tajikistan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Turkmenistan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | East Timor | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Trinidad and Tobago | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Tunisia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Turkey | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Tanzania | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Uganda | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Ukraine | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Vietnam | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Vanuatu | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Samoa | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Yemen | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | South Africa | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Zambia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Zimbabwe | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 124 | Bolivia | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 125 | China | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 126 | Papua New Guinea | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 127 | Guyana | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 128 | Honduras | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 129 | Poland | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 130 | Peru | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 131 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 132 | Venezuela | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 133 | Belarus | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 134 | Solomon Islands | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 135 | Dominican Republic | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 136 | Nicaragua | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 137 | Bulgaria | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 138 | Tonga | 99.8% | 2017 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 139 | Croatia | 99.8% | 2017 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 140 | Costa Rica | 99.7% | 2017 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 141 | Czechia | 99.7% | 2017 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 142 | Mexico | 99.7% | 2017 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 143 | Netherlands | 99.6% | 2017 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 144 | Slovenia | 99.5% | 2017 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 145 | Paraguay | 99.1% | 2017 | down 0.9% | flat |
| 146 | Ecuador | 98.3% | 2017 | down 1.7% | flat |
| 147 | Romania | 98.0% | 2017 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 148 | Chile | 97.7% | 2017 | down 1.6% | flat |
| 149 | Kyrgyzstan | 97.4% | 2017 | down 2.4% | flat |
| 150 | Mongolia | 97.0% | 2017 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 151 | Philippines | 96.4% | 2017 | down 3.6% | flat |
| 152 | Lithuania | 96.0% | 2017 | down 3.9% | flat |
| 153 | Indonesia | 95.6% | 2017 | down 3.5% | flat |
| 154 | Italy | 94.8% | 2017 | down 3.7% | flat |
| 155 | Argentina | 93.9% | 2017 | down 5.6% | flat |
| 156 | Colombia | 92.1% | 2017 | down 7.8% | falling |
| 157 | Belgium | 91.9% | 2017 | down 7.1% | falling |
| 158 | Russia | 91.6% | 2017 | down 4.4% | flat |
| 159 | Malaysia | 90.5% | 2017 | down 7.5% | flat |
| 160 | Germany | 89.2% | 2017 | down 10.1% | falling |
| 161 | Latvia | 89.0% | 2017 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 162 | Kazakhstan | 87.4% | 2017 | down 9.7% | falling |
| 163 | Austria | 85.1% | 2017 | down 14.2% | falling |
| 164 | Guam | 83.3% | 2017 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 165 | Fiji | 82.8% | 2017 | down 17.2% | falling |
| 166 | Greenland | 80.0% | 2017 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 167 | France | 78.2% | 2017 | down 21.5% | falling |
| 168 | Japan | 76.8% | 2017 | down 16.6% | falling |
| 169 | Panama | 71.6% | 2017 | down 26.1% | falling |
| 170 | Luxembourg | 68.8% | 2017 | down 28.7% | falling |
| 171 | Brazil | 68.1% | 2017 | down 24.1% | falling |
| 172 | United Kingdom | 66.5% | 2017 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 173 | Denmark | 56.9% | 2017 | down 41.4% | falling |
| 174 | Switzerland | 49.3% | 2017 | down 47.3% | falling |
| 175 | Sri Lanka | 45.5% | 2017 | down 54.5% | falling |
| 176 | Spain | 41.1% | 2017 | down 44.6% | falling |
| 177 | United States Virgin Islands | 40.0% | 2017 | down 60.0% | flat |
| 178 | Northern Mariana Islands | 26.9% | 2017 | down 73.1% | falling |
| 179 | Australia | 24.9% | 2017 | down 25.7% | falling |
| 180 | Uruguay | 22.4% | 2017 | down 71.1% | falling |
| 181 | Andorra | 17.8% | 2017 | down 82.2% | falling |
| 182 | Portugal | 16.0% | 2017 | down 72.6% | falling |
| 183 | Iceland | 10.3% | 2017 | down 30.1% | falling |
| 184 | Puerto Rico | 3.7% | 2017 | down 94.1% | volatile |
| 185 | Sweden | 3.6% | 2017 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 186 | United States | 3.3% | 2017 | down 92.4% | volatile |
| 187 | Norway | 2.0% | 2017 | down 79.9% | volatile |
| 188 | Ireland | 0.3% | 2017 | down 99.4% | volatile |
| 189 | Brunei | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 189 | Canada | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 189 | Estonia | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 189 | Finland | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 189 | Maldives | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 189 | New Zealand | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Africa Eastern and Southern 100.0%
- Africa Western and Central 100.0%
- Arab World 100.0%
- Low income 100.0%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 100.0%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 100.0%
- Pre-demographic dividend 100.0%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 100.0%
- Sub-Saharan Africa 100.0%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 100.0%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 100.0%
- Least developed countries: UN classification 100.0%
About this data
Percent of population exposed to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 that exceed the WHO guideline value is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 10 micrograms per cubic meter, the guideline value recommended by the World Health Organization as the lower end of the range of concentrations over which adverse health effects due to PM2.5 exposure have been observed.