Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ghana
Ghana: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 43.26 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ghana, 2010–2023
Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
In 2023, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ghana stood at 43.26 micrograms per cubic meter.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ghana peaked at 47.35 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015 and was at its lowest, 35.65 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2014.
That places Ghana 15th out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ghana, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 36.27 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 40.63 micrograms per cubic meter | +12.0% |
| 2012 | 39.72 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 37.09 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 35.65 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 47.35 micrograms per cubic meter | +32.8% |
| 2016 | 44.8 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 41.65 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 41.59 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 37.58 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.6% |
| 2020 | 43.85 micrograms per cubic meter | +16.7% |
| 2021 | 41.13 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 42.72 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 43.26 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 40.23 micrograms per cubic meter | 35.65 micrograms per cubic meter | 47.35 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.74 micrograms per cubic meter | 41.13 micrograms per cubic meter | 43.85 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 12 Saudi Arabia 44.98 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 13 Senegal 44.73 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 14 Bangladesh 43.87 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 16 India 43.1 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 16 Pakistan 43.1 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 18 Gambia 40.91 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)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 78.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0047 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 30.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ghana?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ghana was 43.26 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, according to World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 47.35 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.65 micrograms per cubic meter in 2014.
- How does Ghana rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- Ghana ranks 15th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (population-weighted), by location (micrograms per cubic meter).