Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Ghana
Ghana: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 28.14 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
28.14 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 6.5%
World rank
53rd
of 200 countries
All-time high
40.85 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2004
All-time low
23.63 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2014
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Ghana, 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
In 2023, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Ghana stood at 28.14 micrograms per cubic meter.
That represents a change of down 6.5% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Ghana peaked at 40.85 micrograms per cubic meter in 2004 and was at its lowest, 23.63 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2014.
Ghana ranks 53rd of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Ghana, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 38.35 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 36.21 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.6% |
| 1992 | 36.24 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 36.27 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 36.3 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 31.98 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.9% |
| 1996 | 36.36 micrograms per cubic meter | +13.7% |
| 1997 | 36.39 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 36.42 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 36.44 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 38.65 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 29.81 micrograms per cubic meter | -22.9% |
| 2002 | 35.16 micrograms per cubic meter | +17.9% |
| 2003 | 28.92 micrograms per cubic meter | -17.7% |
| 2004 | 40.85 micrograms per cubic meter | +41.2% |
| 2005 | 31.51 micrograms per cubic meter | -22.9% |
| 2006 | 31.41 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 33.45 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.5% |
| 2008 | 34.17 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 29.4 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.0% |
| 2010 | 26.37 micrograms per cubic meter | -10.3% |
| 2011 | 30.39 micrograms per cubic meter | +15.2% |
| 2012 | 29.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 24.21 micrograms per cubic meter | -16.7% |
| 2014 | 23.63 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 33.87 micrograms per cubic meter | +43.3% |
| 2016 | 31.31 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 29.36 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 25.82 micrograms per cubic meter | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 25.05 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 30.15 micrograms per cubic meter | +20.4% |
| 2021 | 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 30.09 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 28.14 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.5% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 28.14 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.98 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 28.14 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.49 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.09 micrograms per cubic meter | 31.98 micrograms per cubic meter | 38.35 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.33 micrograms per cubic meter | 28.92 micrograms per cubic meter | 40.85 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.91 micrograms per cubic meter | 23.63 micrograms per cubic meter | 33.87 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.42 micrograms per cubic meter | 28.14 micrograms per cubic meter | 30.15 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 50 Guatemala 29.68 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 51 El Salvador 29.59 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 52 Armenia 28.55 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 54 Bolivia 28.14 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 55 South Africa 27.72 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 56 Guinea 27.26 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Ghana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -13.57 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -11.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.26 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.34 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.72 % 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 0.8796 % 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 Ghana?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Ghana was 28.14 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 40.85 micrograms per cubic meter in 2004.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.63 micrograms per cubic meter in 2014.
- How does Ghana rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Ghana ranks 53rd out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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.