Outdoor air pollution exposure in Kuwait
Kuwait: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 57.3 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
57.3
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
3rd
of 241 countries
All-time high
69
in 2022
All-time low
44
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Kuwait, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, outdoor air pollution exposure in Kuwait stood at 57.3.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Kuwait peaked at 69 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 44, in 1998.
Kuwait ranks 3rd of 241 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 44 | — |
| 1999 | 51.9 | +18.0% |
| 2000 | 56.7 | +9.2% |
| 2001 | 51.5 | -9.2% |
| 2002 | 53.5 | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 57.9 | +8.2% |
| 2004 | 53.6 | -7.4% |
| 2005 | 55.4 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 55.9 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 56.4 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 61 | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 64.8 | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 62.3 | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 61.7 | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 61.7 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 57.9 | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 56.3 | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 60 | +6.6% |
| 2016 | 55.2 | -8.0% |
| 2017 | 60.2 | +9.1% |
| 2018 | 67.5 | +12.1% |
| 2019 | 62 | -8.1% |
| 2020 | 60.2 | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 62.7 | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 69 | +10.0% |
| 2023 | 58.4 | -15.4% |
| 2024 | 57.3 | -1.9% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 57.3 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 5.6× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 57.3 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1, 1.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.95 | 44 | 51.9 | 2 |
| 2000s | 56.67 | 51.5 | 64.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.48 | 55.2 | 67.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.52 | 57.3 | 69 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
- 1 Qatar 75.5 compare
- 2 Bangladesh 65 compare
- 4 United Arab Emirates 55.7 compare
- 5 Pakistan 53.8 compare
- 6 Cameroon 51.5 compare
More environment data for Kuwait
- 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 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.028 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -57.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -61.88 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.516 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.95 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 7.63 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.24 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Kuwait?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Kuwait was 57.3 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 69 in 2022.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 44 in 1998.
- How does Kuwait rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Kuwait ranks 3rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait 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).