Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Kuwait

Kuwait: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 57.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
57.3 µg/m³
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
3rd
of 241 countries
All-time high
69 µg/m³
in 2022
All-time low
44 µg/m³
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Kuwait, 1998–2024

02040601998201120241998: 44 µg/m³1999: 51.9 µg/m³2000: 56.7 µg/m³2001: 51.5 µg/m³2002: 53.5 µg/m³2003: 57.9 µg/m³2004: 53.6 µg/m³2005: 55.4 µg/m³2006: 55.9 µg/m³2007: 56.4 µg/m³2008: 61 µg/m³2009: 64.8 µg/m³2010: 62.3 µg/m³2011: 61.7 µg/m³2012: 61.7 µg/m³2013: 57.9 µg/m³2014: 56.3 µg/m³2015: 60 µg/m³2016: 55.2 µg/m³2017: 60.2 µg/m³2018: 67.5 µg/m³2019: 62 µg/m³2020: 60.2 µg/m³2021: 62.7 µg/m³2022: 69 µg/m³2023: 58.4 µg/m³2024: 57.3 µg/m³

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 Kuwait stood at 57.3 µg/m³.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Kuwait peaked at 69 µg/m³ in 2022 and was at its lowest, 44 µg/m³, 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 47.95 µg/m³ 44 µg/m³ 51.9 µg/m³ 2
2000s 56.67 µg/m³ 51.5 µg/m³ 64.8 µg/m³ 10
2010s 60.48 µg/m³ 55.2 µg/m³ 67.5 µg/m³ 10
2020s 61.52 µg/m³ 57.3 µg/m³ 69 µg/m³ 5

Countries ranked near Kuwait

  1. 1 Qatar 75.5 µg/m³ compare
  2. 2 Bangladesh 65 µg/m³ compare
  3. 4 United Arab Emirates 55.7 µg/m³ compare
  4. 5 Pakistan 53.8 µg/m³ compare
  5. 6 Cameroon 51.5 µg/m³ compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for Kuwait

All data for Kuwait →

Frequently asked questions

What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Kuwait?
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Kuwait was 57.3 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 Kuwait?
The highest recorded value was 69 µg/m³ in 2022.
What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Kuwait?
The lowest recorded value was 44 µg/m³ in 1998.
How does Kuwait rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
Kuwait ranks 3rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
Is exposure to outdoor air pollution 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 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

Indicator
Exposure to outdoor air pollution
Unit
µg/m³
Source
SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
241 places, 6,507 data points, 1998–2024
Last refreshed

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.