Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malawi
Malawi: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 21.8 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malawi, 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
Malawi recorded 21.8 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.0% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malawi peaked at 21.8 µg/m³ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.8 µg/m³, in 1999.
Malawi ranks 73rd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.05 µg/m³ | 10.8 µg/m³ | 13.3 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 19 µg/m³ | 15.6 µg/m³ | 21.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.4 µg/m³ | 16.2 µg/m³ | 19.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.16 µg/m³ | 16.5 µg/m³ | 21.8 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 71 Philippines 23.1 µg/m³ compare
- 72 Kenya 22 µg/m³ compare
- 74 Georgia 21.5 µg/m³ compare
- 75 Paraguay 21.3 µg/m³ compare
- 76 North Korea 21.2 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Malawi
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 19.02 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 0.8785 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 5.42 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.7527 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0074 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 9.34 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0006 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0087 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.25 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malawi?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malawi was 21.8 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 21.8 µg/m³ in 2024.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Malawi ranks 73rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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.