What is the highest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Malawi?

The highest recorded value was 21.42 micrograms per cubic meter in 2008.

What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Malawi?

The lowest recorded value was 15.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021.

How does Malawi rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?

Malawi ranks 104th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.

Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Malawi?

Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Where does this Malawi 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.

Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Malawi

Name: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Malawi
Creator: Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Malawi: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 16.72 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)

16.72 micrograms per cubic meter

Change on year

down 17.1%

World rank

104th

of 200 countries

All-time high

21.42 micrograms per cubic meter

in 2008

All-time low

15.7 micrograms per cubic meter

in 2021

Years of data

1990–2023

Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Malawi, 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

Malawi recorded 16.72 micrograms per cubic meter for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in 2023.

That represents a change of down 17.1% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Malawi peaked at 21.42 micrograms per cubic meter in 2008 and was at its lowest, 15.7 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2021.

Malawi ranks 104th of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1990s	17.41 micrograms per cubic meter	16.36 micrograms per cubic meter	17.97 micrograms per cubic meter	10
2000s	19.67 micrograms per cubic meter	18.05 micrograms per cubic meter	21.42 micrograms per cubic meter	10
2010s	18.4 micrograms per cubic meter	16.04 micrograms per cubic meter	21.16 micrograms per cubic meter	10
2020s	17.24 micrograms per cubic meter	15.7 micrograms per cubic meter	20.17 micrograms per cubic meter	4

Countries ranked near Malawi

101 Guyana 16.95 micrograms per cubic meter compare
102 Belize 16.76 micrograms per cubic meter compare
103 Eswatini 16.75 micrograms per cubic meter compare
105 Mexico 16.61 micrograms per cubic meter compare
106 Algeria 16.54 micrograms per cubic meter compare
107 Poland 16.52 micrograms per cubic meter compare

See the full ranking of 200 places →

More environment data for Malawi

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 19.02 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 0.8785 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 5.42 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.7527 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0074 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 9.34 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0006 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0087 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.25 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Malawi?: Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Malawi was 16.72 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 Malawi?: The highest recorded value was 21.42 micrograms per cubic meter in 2008.
What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Malawi?: The lowest recorded value was 15.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021.
How does Malawi rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?: Malawi ranks 104th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Malawi?: Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Malawi 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution
Unit: micrograms per cubic meter
Source: Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 200 places, 6,800 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.