Outdoor air pollution exposure in Malawi
Malawi: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 21.8 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
21.8
Change on year
up 9.0%
World rank
73rd
of 241 countries
All-time high
21.8
in 2024
All-time low
10.8
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Malawi, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 21.8 for outdoor air pollution exposure 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, outdoor air pollution exposure in Malawi peaked at 21.8 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.8, 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 13.3 | — |
| 1999 | 10.8 | -18.8% |
| 2000 | 15.6 | +44.4% |
| 2001 | 21.3 | +36.5% |
| 2002 | 18 | -15.5% |
| 2003 | 18.6 | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 18.4 | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 20.2 | +9.8% |
| 2006 | 18.7 | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 21 | +12.3% |
| 2008 | 20.4 | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 17.8 | -12.7% |
| 2010 | 19.4 | +9.0% |
| 2011 | 19.3 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 19.5 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 18.3 | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 18.7 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 18.7 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16.2 | -13.4% |
| 2017 | 17 | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 17.7 | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 19.2 | +8.5% |
| 2020 | 16.7 | -13.0% |
| 2021 | 16.5 | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 20.8 | +26.1% |
| 2023 | 20 | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 21.8 | +9.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 21.8 is below the median for low income countries, which is 30.8, 71% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 21.8 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2, 87% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.05 | 10.8 | 13.3 | 2 |
| 2000s | 19 | 15.6 | 21.3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.4 | 16.2 | 19.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.16 | 16.5 | 21.8 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 71 Philippines 23.1 compare
- 72 Kenya 22 compare
- 74 Georgia 21.5 compare
- 75 Paraguay 21.3 compare
- 76 North Korea 21.2 compare
More environment data for Malawi
- 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 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.0833 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.9153 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.8098 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.07 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 19.62 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 Malawi?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Malawi was 21.8 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 21.8 in 2024.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8 in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Malawi ranks 73rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure 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 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).