Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 37.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
37.95 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 5.6%
World rank
26th
of 200 countries
All-time high
49.62 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2002
All-time low
34.16 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Afghanistan, 1990–2023
Source: Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
The most recent figure for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Afghanistan is 37.95 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 5.6% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Afghanistan peaked at 49.62 micrograms per cubic meter in 2002 and was at its lowest, 34.16 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2020.
Afghanistan ranks 26th of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 48.43 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 47.94 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 47.97 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 48.01 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 48.04 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 47.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 48.11 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 48.14 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 48.17 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 48.2 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 48.75 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 47.34 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 49.62 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 48.65 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 47.39 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 48.1 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 40.54 micrograms per cubic meter | -15.7% |
| 2007 | 37.73 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.9% |
| 2008 | 36.85 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 34.59 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.1% |
| 2010 | 39.09 micrograms per cubic meter | +13.0% |
| 2011 | 41.9 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 34.35 micrograms per cubic meter | -18.0% |
| 2013 | 36.61 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.6% |
| 2014 | 35.98 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 36.49 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 36.87 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 37.07 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 40.84 micrograms per cubic meter | +10.2% |
| 2019 | 34.8 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.8% |
| 2020 | 34.16 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 39.74 micrograms per cubic meter | +16.3% |
| 2022 | 40.21 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 37.95 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.6% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 37.95 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for low income countries, which is 33.29 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 37.95 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 40.25 micrograms per cubic meter, 94% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48 micrograms per cubic meter | 47.04 micrograms per cubic meter | 48.43 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.96 micrograms per cubic meter | 34.59 micrograms per cubic meter | 49.62 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.4 micrograms per cubic meter | 34.35 micrograms per cubic meter | 41.9 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.01 micrograms per cubic meter | 34.16 micrograms per cubic meter | 40.21 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 23 Iran 40.25 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 24 Benin 39.66 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 25 Gambia 38.27 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 27 Sudan 37.61 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 28 Burkina Faso 37.32 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 29 Congo 36.54 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Afghanistan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -19.95 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -17.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.547 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.96 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.7636 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Afghanistan?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Afghanistan was 37.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, according to Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 49.62 micrograms per cubic meter in 2002.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.16 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020.
- How does Afghanistan rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Afghanistan ranks 26th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The average level of exposure of the population to suspended particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and damaging health. This is measured in micrograms per cubic meter.