Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 20.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ethiopia, 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
The most recent figure for exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ethiopia is 20.2 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 8.0% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ethiopia peaked at 24.5 µg/m³ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 9.3 µg/m³, in 1998.
Ethiopia ranks 84th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9.3 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 9.5 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 19.3 µg/m³ | +103.2% |
| 2001 | 21.8 µg/m³ | +13.0% |
| 2002 | 21.2 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 21.4 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 20.3 µg/m³ | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 20.5 µg/m³ | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 21 µg/m³ | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 22.3 µg/m³ | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 21.5 µg/m³ | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 21.7 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 23.3 µg/m³ | +7.4% |
| 2011 | 24.2 µg/m³ | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 23.6 µg/m³ | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 23.8 µg/m³ | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 21.7 µg/m³ | -8.8% |
| 2015 | 23.8 µg/m³ | +9.7% |
| 2016 | 23.1 µg/m³ | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 24.5 µg/m³ | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 22.2 µg/m³ | -9.4% |
| 2019 | 21.3 µg/m³ | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 22.5 µg/m³ | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 22.4 µg/m³ | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 20.9 µg/m³ | -6.7% |
| 2023 | 18.7 µg/m³ | -10.5% |
| 2024 | 20.2 µg/m³ | +8.0% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 20.2 µg/m³ is below the median for low income countries, which is 30.8 µg/m³, 66% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 20.2 µg/m³ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 80% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ethiopia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +103.2% | 9.5 µg/m³ | 19.3 µg/m³ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.4 µg/m³ | 9.3 µg/m³ | 9.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 21.1 µg/m³ | 19.3 µg/m³ | 22.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.15 µg/m³ | 21.3 µg/m³ | 24.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.94 µg/m³ | 18.7 µg/m³ | 22.5 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 81 Nicaragua 20.5 µg/m³ compare
- 82 Israel 20.4 µg/m³ compare
- 83 Costa Rica 20.3 µg/m³ compare
- 84 Cote d'Ivoire 20.2 µg/m³ compare
- 84 Sierra Leone 20.2 µg/m³ compare
- 84 Tunisia 20.2 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Ethiopia
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.272 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.39 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.26 % 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 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.1478 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ethiopia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ethiopia was 20.2 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 24.5 µg/m³ in 2017.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.3 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Ethiopia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Ethiopia ranks 84th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.