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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 20.7 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 23 µg/m³ | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 30.4 µg/m³ | +32.2% |
| 2001 | 35 µg/m³ | +15.1% |
| 2002 | 33.9 µg/m³ | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 34.1 µg/m³ | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 33 µg/m³ | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 29.6 µg/m³ | -10.3% |
| 2006 | 32.3 µg/m³ | +9.1% |
| 2007 | 32.2 µg/m³ | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 34.4 µg/m³ | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 31.7 µg/m³ | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 34.1 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
| 2011 | 37.4 µg/m³ | +9.7% |
| 2012 | 30.1 µg/m³ | -19.5% |
| 2013 | 32.6 µg/m³ | +8.3% |
| 2014 | 32 µg/m³ | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 33.7 µg/m³ | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 34.6 µg/m³ | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 32.1 µg/m³ | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 33.7 µg/m³ | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 31.8 µg/m³ | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 29.4 µg/m³ | -7.5% |
| 2021 | 34.7 µg/m³ | +18.0% |
| 2022 | 35.4 µg/m³ | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 38.5 µg/m³ | +8.8% |
| 2024 | 40 µg/m³ | +3.9% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 40 µg/m³ is above the median for low income countries, which is 30.8 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 40 µg/m³ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1 µg/m³, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -19.95 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -17.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.547 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.96 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.85 % 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 0.7636 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (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.