Outdoor air pollution exposure in Kenya
Kenya: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 22 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Kenya, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 22 for outdoor air pollution exposure in 2024.
The figure is up 19.6% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Kenya peaked at 22.9 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 10.2, in 1999.
That places Kenya 72nd out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 12.1 | — |
| 1999 | 10.2 | -15.7% |
| 2000 | 21.2 | +107.8% |
| 2001 | 22.9 | +8.0% |
| 2002 | 19.2 | -16.2% |
| 2003 | 20.3 | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 19 | -6.4% |
| 2005 | 18.5 | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 18.9 | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 21.4 | +13.2% |
| 2008 | 20.1 | -6.1% |
| 2009 | 19.8 | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 21.4 | +8.1% |
| 2011 | 21.4 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 21.9 | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 21.8 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 19.6 | -10.1% |
| 2015 | 19.6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 19.9 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 19 | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 20.1 | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 19.8 | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 21.7 | +9.6% |
| 2021 | 20.6 | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 20.5 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 18.4 | -10.2% |
| 2024 | 22 | +19.6% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 22 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 22 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2, 87% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Outdoor air pollution exposure in Kenya 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 | +107.8% | 10.2 | 21.2 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.15 | 10.2 | 12.1 | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.13 | 18.5 | 22.9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.45 | 19 | 21.9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.64 | 18.4 | 22 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More environment data for Kenya
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.3702 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.27 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.12 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 36.67 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Kenya?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Kenya was 22 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 22.9 in 2001.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2 in 1999.
- How does Kenya rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Kenya ranks 72nd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Outdoor air pollution exposure. 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).