Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 40 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Afghanistan, 1998–2024
Source: SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in µg/m³.
Analysis
In 2024, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Afghanistan stood at 40 µg/m³. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Afghanistan peaked at 40 µg/m³ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 20.7 µg/m³, in 1998.
That places Afghanistan 20th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.85 µg/m³ | 20.7 µg/m³ | 23 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 32.66 µg/m³ | 29.6 µg/m³ | 35 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.21 µg/m³ | 30.1 µg/m³ | 37.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.6 µg/m³ | 29.4 µg/m³ | 40 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Afghanistan?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Afghanistan was 40 µg/m³ in 2024, according to SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 40 µg/m³ in 2024.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.7 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Afghanistan rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Afghanistan ranks 20th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to outdoor air pollution. 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.