What is emissions of air pollutants in Afghanistan?

Emissions of air pollutants in Afghanistan was 390,734 tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Afghanistan?

The highest recorded value was 426,349 tonnes in 1990.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Afghanistan?

The lowest recorded value was 555.48 tonnes in 1750.

How does Afghanistan rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Afghanistan ranks 45th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Afghanistan?

Over the last ten years it is up 26.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Afghanistan data come from?

The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Emissions of air pollutants in Afghanistan

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Afghanistan
Creator: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Afghanistan: Emissions of air pollutants was 390,734 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

390,734 tonnes

Change on year

down 1.7%

World rank

45th

of 220 countries

All-time high

426,349 tonnes

in 1990

All-time low

555.48 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Afghanistan, 1750–2022

Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2022, emissions of air pollutants in Afghanistan stood at 390,734 tonnes.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and up 26.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Afghanistan peaked at 426,349 tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 555.48 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Afghanistan 45th out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1750s	565.84 tonnes	555.48 tonnes	576.21 tonnes	10
1760s	589.3 tonnes	578.51 tonnes	600.08 tonnes	10
1770s	613.71 tonnes	602.48 tonnes	624.94 tonnes	10
1780s	639.12 tonnes	627.43 tonnes	650.81 tonnes	10
1790s	665.57 tonnes	653.4 tonnes	677.73 tonnes	10
1800s	701.8 tonnes	680.43 tonnes	723.34 tonnes	10
1810s	750.79 tonnes	728.19 tonnes	773.59 tonnes	10
1820s	799.61 tonnes	778.72 tonnes	820.65 tonnes	10
1830s	855.71 tonnes	825.38 tonnes	886.31 tonnes	10
1840s	925.74 tonnes	893.2 tonnes	958.58 tonnes	10
1850s	1,003 tonnes	965.97 tonnes	1,041 tonnes	10
1860s	1,107 tonnes	1,050 tonnes	1,166 tonnes	10
1870s	1,259 tonnes	1,190 tonnes	1,329 tonnes	10
1880s	1,428 tonnes	1,345 tonnes	1,514 tonnes	10
1890s	1,629 tonnes	1,534 tonnes	1,725 tonnes	10
1900s	1,943 tonnes	1,747 tonnes	2,150 tonnes	10
1910s	2,318 tonnes	2,199 tonnes	2,434 tonnes	10
1920s	2,703 tonnes	2,459 tonnes	2,965 tonnes	10
1930s	3,158 tonnes	2,996 tonnes	3,322 tonnes	10
1940s	3,484 tonnes	3,348 tonnes	3,635 tonnes	10
1950s	33,685 tonnes	18,521 tonnes	65,665 tonnes	10
1960s	124,757 tonnes	69,346 tonnes	178,652 tonnes	10
1970s	259,582 tonnes	208,761 tonnes	349,542 tonnes	10
1980s	325,266 tonnes	235,937 tonnes	384,902 tonnes	10
1990s	260,792 tonnes	146,301 tonnes	426,349 tonnes	10
2000s	121,263 tonnes	86,567 tonnes	217,235 tonnes	10
2010s	321,874 tonnes	274,613 tonnes	377,288 tonnes	10
2020s	392,273 tonnes	388,591 tonnes	397,495 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

42 Chile 440,221 tonnes compare
43 Israel 425,057 tonnes compare
44 Ukraine 391,067 tonnes compare
46 Uzbekistan 390,227 tonnes compare
47 Kuwait 376,852 tonnes compare
48 Taiwan 368,369 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Afghanistan

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 33.03 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 0.7746 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 12.48 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.2033 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.5 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0094 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 16.25 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0035 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.026 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 2.03 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Afghanistan?: Emissions of air pollutants in Afghanistan was 390,734 tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Afghanistan?: The highest recorded value was 426,349 tonnes in 1990.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Afghanistan?: The lowest recorded value was 555.48 tonnes in 1750.
How does Afghanistan rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Afghanistan ranks 45th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Afghanistan?: Over the last ten years it is up 26.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?: The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 273 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Emissions of air pollutants
Unit: tonnes
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) are gases that are mainly formed during the burning of fossil fuels. Exposure to NOₓ gases can have negative impacts on respiratory health. NOₓ gases can also lead to the formation of ozone – another air pollutant.