What is emissions of air pollutants in Western Sahara?

Emissions of air pollutants in Western Sahara was 571.23 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 Western Sahara?

The highest recorded value was 1,015 tonnes in 2003.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Western Sahara?

The lowest recorded value was 0.3596 tonnes in 1750.

How does Western Sahara rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Western Sahara ranks 209th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Western Sahara?

Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Western Sahara 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 Western Sahara

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Western Sahara
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)

Western Sahara: Emissions of air pollutants was 571.23 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

571.23 tonnes

Change on year

down 0.0%

World rank

209th

of 220 countries

All-time high

1,015 tonnes

in 2003

All-time low

0.3596 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Western Sahara, 1750–2022

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

Analysis

Western Sahara recorded 571.23 tonnes for emissions of air pollutants in 2022.

That represents a change of down 23.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Western Sahara peaked at 1,015 tonnes in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.3596 tonnes, in 1750.

Western Sahara ranks 209th of 220 countries on this measure, in the bottom 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	0.3601 tonnes	0.3596 tonnes	0.3607 tonnes	10
1760s	0.3613 tonnes	0.3608 tonnes	0.3618 tonnes	10
1770s	0.3624 tonnes	0.3619 tonnes	0.363 tonnes	10
1780s	0.3636 tonnes	0.3631 tonnes	0.3641 tonnes	10
1790s	0.3647 tonnes	0.3642 tonnes	0.3652 tonnes	10
1800s	0.3711 tonnes	0.3653 tonnes	0.3768 tonnes	10
1810s	0.3847 tonnes	0.3781 tonnes	0.3914 tonnes	10
1820s	0.3996 tonnes	0.3929 tonnes	0.4063 tonnes	10
1830s	0.4146 tonnes	0.4078 tonnes	0.4214 tonnes	10
1840s	0.4298 tonnes	0.4229 tonnes	0.4367 tonnes	10
1850s	0.445 tonnes	0.4382 tonnes	0.4523 tonnes	10
1860s	0.4719 tonnes	0.4539 tonnes	0.4901 tonnes	10
1870s	0.5169 tonnes	0.4943 tonnes	0.5355 tonnes	10
1880s	0.5582 tonnes	0.5396 tonnes	0.5771 tonnes	10
1890s	0.601 tonnes	0.5814 tonnes	0.6208 tonnes	10
1900s	0.6504 tonnes	0.6253 tonnes	0.6759 tonnes	10
1910s	1.02 tonnes	0.6817 tonnes	1.37 tonnes	10
1920s	2.24 tonnes	1.45 tonnes	3.08 tonnes	10
1930s	4.95 tonnes	3.24 tonnes	7.4 tonnes	10
1940s	12.26 tonnes	8.14 tonnes	17.01 tonnes	10
1950s	28.13 tonnes	18.25 tonnes	39.59 tonnes	10
1960s	65.72 tonnes	42.93 tonnes	97.72 tonnes	10
1970s	138.47 tonnes	99.19 tonnes	217.23 tonnes	10
1980s	282.06 tonnes	237.48 tonnes	320 tonnes	10
1990s	594.03 tonnes	344.71 tonnes	788.06 tonnes	10
2000s	931.3 tonnes	870.74 tonnes	1,015 tonnes	10
2010s	751.48 tonnes	707.75 tonnes	933.86 tonnes	10
2020s	615.46 tonnes	571.23 tonnes	703.9 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Western Sahara

206 Falkland Islands 643.99 tonnes compare
207 Cook Islands 616.51 tonnes compare
208 Kiribati 594.77 tonnes compare
210 American Samoa 497.74 tonnes compare
211 Marshall Islands 384.79 tonnes compare
212 Montserrat 345.43 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Western Sahara

Forest area 529,220 hectares (2025)
Share of global forest area 0.0% (2025)
Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area -0.2% (2025)
Annual change in forest area -798.01 hectares (2025)
Annual change in forest area vs. GDP per capita -0.2% (2025)
Change in domestic forest area vs. deforestation embedded in imported goods -798.01 hectares (2025)
Exposure to air pollution from human sources 5.82 micrograms per cubic meter (2024)
Exposure to outdoor air pollution 19.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Land use over the long-term 5.00 million hectares (2025)
Grazing land use over the long-term 5.00 million hectares (2025)

All data for Western Sahara →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Western Sahara?: Emissions of air pollutants in Western Sahara was 571.23 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 Western Sahara?: The highest recorded value was 1,015 tonnes in 2003.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Western Sahara?: The lowest recorded value was 0.3596 tonnes in 1750.
How does Western Sahara rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Western Sahara ranks 209th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Western Sahara?: Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Western Sahara 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.