Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Namibia
Namibia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 15.5 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Namibia, 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
Namibia recorded 15.5 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Namibia peaked at 17 µg/m³ in 2008 and was at its lowest, 11.3 µg/m³, in 2020.
Namibia ranks 114th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Namibia, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 13.9 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 12.7 µg/m³ | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 13.5 µg/m³ | +6.3% |
| 2001 | 13.8 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 14.1 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 13.4 µg/m³ | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 12.7 µg/m³ | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 15.4 µg/m³ | +21.3% |
| 2006 | 15 µg/m³ | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 15.5 µg/m³ | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 17 µg/m³ | +9.7% |
| 2009 | 14.7 µg/m³ | -13.5% |
| 2010 | 16.6 µg/m³ | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 15.8 µg/m³ | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 14.5 µg/m³ | -8.2% |
| 2013 | 13.3 µg/m³ | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 12.5 µg/m³ | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 12.6 µg/m³ | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 11.8 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 12.7 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
| 2018 | 12.1 µg/m³ | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 12.3 µg/m³ | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 11.3 µg/m³ | -8.1% |
| 2021 | 12.2 µg/m³ | +8.0% |
| 2022 | 15 µg/m³ | +23.0% |
| 2023 | 14.7 µg/m³ | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 15.5 µg/m³ | +5.4% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 15.5 µg/m³ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 63% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 15.5 µg/m³ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 62% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.3 µg/m³ | 12.7 µg/m³ | 13.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.51 µg/m³ | 12.7 µg/m³ | 17 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.42 µg/m³ | 11.8 µg/m³ | 16.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.74 µg/m³ | 11.3 µg/m³ | 15.5 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More environment data for Namibia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.99 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.14 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.319 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.979 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 4.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Namibia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Namibia was 15.5 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 17 µg/m³ in 2008.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Namibia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Namibia ranks 114th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia 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.