Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Exposure to air pollution from human sources was 18.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Ethiopia, 1998–2024
Source: Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
In 2024, exposure to air pollution from human sources in Ethiopia stood at 18.3 micrograms per cubic meter.
The figure is up 9.0% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to air pollution from human sources in Ethiopia peaked at 21.61 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017 and was at its lowest, 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter, in 1999.
Ethiopia ranks 69th of 240 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7.68 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1999 | 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 15.95 micrograms per cubic meter | +111.0% |
| 2001 | 17.98 micrograms per cubic meter | +12.7% |
| 2002 | 17.58 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 17.5 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 16.55 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 17.04 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 17.82 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 19.43 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.0% |
| 2008 | 18.46 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 18.71 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 20.15 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.7% |
| 2011 | 21.18 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 20.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 20.4 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 19.16 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 20.93 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 20.48 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 21.61 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 19.6 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.3% |
| 2019 | 19.05 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 19.65 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 20.08 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 18.43 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.2% |
| 2023 | 16.79 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.9% |
| 2024 | 18.3 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.0% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 18.3 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for low income countries, which is 18.3 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 18.3 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.28 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Ethiopia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +111.0% | 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter | 15.95 micrograms per cubic meter |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.62 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.68 micrograms per cubic meter | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter | 15.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 19.43 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.26 micrograms per cubic meter | 19.05 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.61 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.65 micrograms per cubic meter | 16.79 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.08 micrograms per cubic meter | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 66 Zimbabwe 18.9 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 67 Philippines 18.36 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 68 Georgia 18.32 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 70 Eswatini 18.26 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 71 Eritrea 17.92 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 72 Palestine 17.83 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Ethiopia
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.272 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.39 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.26 % 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 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.1478 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to air pollution from human sources in Ethiopia?
- Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Ethiopia was 18.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024, according to Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to air pollution from human sources recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.61 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017.
- What is the lowest exposure to air pollution from human sources recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter in 1999.
- How does Ethiopia rank for exposure to air pollution from human sources?
- Ethiopia ranks 69th out of 240 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to air pollution from human sources rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to air pollution from human sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual population-weighted average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air, measured in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, which can pose significant health risks. This data excludes natural sources of PM2.5, such as dust and sea salt, to focus on human-caused pollution.