Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Egypt
Egypt: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 41.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▬ Flat
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Egypt, 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
Egypt recorded 41.3 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
That represents a change of up 7.8% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Egypt peaked at 44.6 µg/m³ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 38.3 µg/m³, in 2023.
That places Egypt 14th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Egypt, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 41.5 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 42.2 µg/m³ | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 41.8 µg/m³ | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 40.6 µg/m³ | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 40.9 µg/m³ | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 41.2 µg/m³ | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 42.1 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 40.2 µg/m³ | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 43.5 µg/m³ | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 42 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 42.2 µg/m³ | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 42.8 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 44.3 µg/m³ | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 42.6 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 41.7 µg/m³ | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 41.7 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 41.4 µg/m³ | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 43.1 µg/m³ | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 42.8 µg/m³ | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 44.6 µg/m³ | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 42.5 µg/m³ | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 42.2 µg/m³ | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 41.3 µg/m³ | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 43.5 µg/m³ | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 41.5 µg/m³ | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 38.3 µg/m³ | -7.7% |
| 2024 | 41.3 µg/m³ | +7.8% |
Egypt compared with similar countries
- Egypt's 41.3 µg/m³ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Egypt's 41.3 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 | 41.85 µg/m³ | 41.5 µg/m³ | 42.2 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 41.73 µg/m³ | 40.2 µg/m³ | 43.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.69 µg/m³ | 41.4 µg/m³ | 44.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.18 µg/m³ | 38.3 µg/m³ | 43.5 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More environment data for Egypt
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -20.54 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -13.21 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.361 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.56 % 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 -3.07 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Egypt?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Egypt was 41.3 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 Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 44.6 µg/m³ in 2017.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.3 µg/m³ in 2023.
- How does Egypt rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Egypt ranks 14th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Egypt 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.