PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim Target-2 value (% of total) by country
Percent of population exposed to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) Interim Target 2 (IT-2) is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 25 micrograms per cubic meter. The Air Quality...
Countries reporting
194
Highest
100.0%
Afghanistan
Lowest
0.0%
Samoa
Median
8.7%
Years covered
28
1990–2017
Data points
2,328
What the numbers show
PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim Target-2 value (% of total) is currently reported for 194 countries. The highest value is 100.0% in Afghanistan; the lowest is 0.0% in Samoa.
The median across all reporting countries is 8.7%, and the mean is 39.8%.
Over the past decade 15 countries rose and 87 fell. The largest increase was in Cote d'Ivoire (up 396.4%), and the largest decrease in Australia (down 100.0%).
PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim Ta: 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 | United Arab Emirates | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Burundi | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Benin | 100.0% | 2017 | up 4.1% | falling |
| 1 | Burkina Faso | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bangladesh | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bahrain | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Central African Republic | 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 | Cape Verde | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Djibouti | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Algeria | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Eritrea | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Ethiopia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Gabon | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Ghana | 100.0% | 2017 | up 35.8% | falling |
| 1 | Gambia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Guinea-Bissau | 100.0% | 2017 | up 3.4% | falling |
| 1 | Equatorial Guinea | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Iraq | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Kuwait | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Libya | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Mali | 100.0% | 2017 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Mauritania | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Niger | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Nepal | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Oman | 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 | Somalia | 100.0% | 2017 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 1 | South Sudan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Sao Tome and Principe | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Chad | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Togo | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | falling |
| 1 | Tunisia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Uganda | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Yemen | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 44 | Egypt | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 45 | Turkey | 100.0% | 2017 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 46 | Syria | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 47 | Pakistan | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 48 | North Korea | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 49 | Nigeria | 99.9% | 2017 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 50 | Tajikistan | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 51 | Lebanon | 99.5% | 2017 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 52 | Lesotho | 99.3% | 2017 | down 0.7% | flat |
| 53 | Morocco | 98.8% | 2017 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 54 | Iran | 98.5% | 2017 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 55 | Zambia | 98.0% | 2017 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 56 | China | 97.2% | 2017 | down 1.8% | flat |
| 57 | Myanmar | 96.1% | 2017 | down 3.1% | flat |
| 58 | India | 93.7% | 2017 | down 2.1% | flat |
| 59 | Bhutan | 93.3% | 2017 | down 6.2% | flat |
| 60 | Jordan | 91.6% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 61 | Palestine | 89.1% | 2017 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 62 | Mongolia | 80.6% | 2017 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 63 | Armenia | 78.0% | 2017 | down 17.6% | falling |
| 64 | Vietnam | 76.7% | 2017 | down 10.7% | falling |
| 65 | Uzbekistan | 72.2% | 2017 | down 7.8% | falling |
| 66 | Cote d'Ivoire | 68.6% | 2017 | up 396.4% | volatile |
| 67 | Thailand | 67.1% | 2017 | down 20.1% | falling |
| 68 | North Macedonia | 67.0% | 2017 | down 29.4% | falling |
| 69 | Namibia | 63.6% | 2017 | down 14.2% | falling |
| 70 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 63.2% | 2017 | down 19.1% | flat |
| 71 | Kenya | 62.0% | 2017 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 72 | Cambodia | 55.8% | 2017 | down 42.4% | falling |
| 73 | Suriname | 55.6% | 2017 | down 33.0% | falling |
| 74 | Tanzania | 55.3% | 2017 | down 15.0% | falling |
| 75 | Laos | 54.7% | 2017 | down 28.3% | falling |
| 76 | South Korea | 53.0% | 2017 | down 45.7% | falling |
| 77 | Guinea | 52.1% | 2017 | up 143.5% | volatile |
| 78 | Serbia | 48.2% | 2017 | down 40.1% | falling |
| 79 | South Africa | 42.5% | 2017 | down 7.1% | flat |
| 80 | Kyrgyzstan | 42.4% | 2017 | down 14.1% | flat |
| 81 | Peru | 39.2% | 2017 | down 46.6% | falling |
| 82 | El Salvador | 34.8% | 2017 | down 65.0% | falling |
| 83 | Botswana | 34.4% | 2017 | down 38.4% | falling |
| 84 | Georgia | 32.4% | 2017 | down 23.4% | falling |
| 85 | Chile | 31.2% | 2017 | down 47.5% | falling |
| 86 | Bolivia | 24.5% | 2017 | down 61.3% | falling |
| 87 | Guatemala | 24.0% | 2017 | down 75.7% | falling |
| 88 | Guyana | 23.7% | 2017 | down 69.2% | falling |
| 89 | Turkmenistan | 23.0% | 2017 | down 35.9% | falling |
| 90 | Cuba | 20.7% | 2017 | down 48.5% | falling |
| 91 | Trinidad and Tobago | 20.2% | 2017 | down 79.8% | falling |
| 92 | Montenegro | 19.2% | 2017 | down 59.4% | falling |
| 93 | Poland | 19.1% | 2017 | down 63.9% | falling |
| 94 | Mexico | 18.6% | 2017 | down 67.2% | falling |
| 95 | Malawi | 11.8% | 2017 | down 79.4% | falling |
| 96 | Madagascar | 11.6% | 2017 | down 44.0% | volatile |
| 97 | Honduras | 8.9% | 2017 | down 88.0% | falling |
| 98 | Ukraine | 8.5% | 2017 | down 74.7% | volatile |
| 99 | Israel | 8.2% | 2017 | down 70.5% | volatile |
| 100 | Zimbabwe | 8.1% | 2017 | down 53.1% | falling |
| 101 | Bulgaria | 7.1% | 2017 | down 76.2% | volatile |
| 102 | Italy | 6.7% | 2017 | down 66.7% | falling |
| 103 | Indonesia | 6.5% | 2017 | down 48.9% | falling |
| 104 | Philippines | 6.2% | 2017 | down 82.8% | falling |
| 105 | Croatia | 5.9% | 2017 | down 68.9% | falling |
| 106 | Azerbaijan | 5.7% | 2017 | down 65.8% | falling |
| 107 | Czechia | 4.9% | 2017 | down 61.3% | volatile |
| 108 | Brazil | 4.7% | 2017 | down 29.8% | falling |
| 109 | Mozambique | 4.5% | 2017 | down 76.5% | falling |
| 110 | Belarus | 4.4% | 2017 | down 74.9% | volatile |
| 111 | Russia | 4.0% | 2017 | down 52.9% | volatile |
| 112 | Greece | 3.7% | 2017 | down 46.3% | falling |
| 113 | Argentina | 3.6% | 2017 | down 54.6% | falling |
| 114 | Albania | 3.1% | 2017 | down 82.5% | volatile |
| 115 | Belize | 2.7% | 2017 | down 97.3% | volatile |
| 116 | Nicaragua | 2.1% | 2017 | down 92.4% | volatile |
| 117 | Venezuela | 2.0% | 2017 | down 86.6% | falling |
| 118 | Sierra Leone | 1.9% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 119 | Kazakhstan | 1.4% | 2017 | down 54.3% | falling |
| 120 | Colombia | 1.3% | 2017 | down 95.3% | volatile |
| 121 | United States | 0.1% | 2017 | down 69.9% | rising |
| 122 | Spain | 0.0% | 2017 | up 14.9% | rising |
| 123 | Andorra | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | American Samoa | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Australia | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 123 | Austria | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 123 | Belgium | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Bahamas | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Bermuda | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Barbados | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 123 | Brunei | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Canada | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Switzerland | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 123 | Comoros | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 123 | Costa Rica | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Cyprus | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Germany | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 123 | Dominica | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Denmark | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Dominican Republic | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Ecuador | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Estonia | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Finland | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Fiji | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | France | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 123 | Micronesia (country) | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | United Kingdom | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Grenada | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Greenland | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Guam | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Haiti | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Hungary | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Ireland | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Iceland | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Jamaica | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Japan | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Kiribati | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Liberia | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Saint Lucia | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Sri Lanka | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 123 | Lithuania | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Luxembourg | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Latvia | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Moldova | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 123 | Maldives | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Marshall Islands | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Malta | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Northern Mariana Islands | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Mauritius | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Malaysia | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Netherlands | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Norway | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | New Zealand | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Panama | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Papua New Guinea | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Puerto Rico | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Portugal | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Paraguay | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Romania | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Singapore | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Solomon Islands | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Slovakia | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Slovenia | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Sweden | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Eswatini | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Seychelles | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 123 | East Timor | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Tonga | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Uruguay | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 123 | United States Virgin Islands | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Vanuatu | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 123 | Samoa | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
About this data
Percent of population exposed to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) Interim Target 2 (IT-2) is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 25 micrograms per cubic meter. The Air Quality Guideline (AQG) of 10 micrograms per cubic meter is recommended by the WHO as the lower end of the range of concentrations over which adverse health effects due to PM2.5 exposure have been observed.