Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nepal
Nepal: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 40.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nepal, 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
In 2024, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nepal stood at 40.7 µg/m³.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nepal peaked at 52.6 µg/m³ in 2018 and was at its lowest, 24.8 µg/m³, in 1998.
That places Nepal 16th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nepal, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 24.8 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 25.9 µg/m³ | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 34.2 µg/m³ | +32.0% |
| 2001 | 37.6 µg/m³ | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 34.8 µg/m³ | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 36.2 µg/m³ | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 38.4 µg/m³ | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 35.2 µg/m³ | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 39.2 µg/m³ | +11.4% |
| 2007 | 40.6 µg/m³ | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 43.2 µg/m³ | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 46.8 µg/m³ | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 41.8 µg/m³ | -10.7% |
| 2011 | 42.8 µg/m³ | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 43.9 µg/m³ | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 41.4 µg/m³ | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 43.1 µg/m³ | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 46.3 µg/m³ | +7.4% |
| 2016 | 48 µg/m³ | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 47.6 µg/m³ | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 52.6 µg/m³ | +10.5% |
| 2019 | 47.7 µg/m³ | -9.3% |
| 2020 | 41.7 µg/m³ | -12.6% |
| 2021 | 50.2 µg/m³ | +20.4% |
| 2022 | 44.3 µg/m³ | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 41.9 µg/m³ | -5.4% |
| 2024 | 40.7 µg/m³ | -2.9% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 40.7 µg/m³ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 40.7 µg/m³ is above the median for South Asia, which is 32.7 µg/m³, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.35 µg/m³ | 24.8 µg/m³ | 25.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 38.62 µg/m³ | 34.2 µg/m³ | 46.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.52 µg/m³ | 41.4 µg/m³ | 52.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.76 µg/m³ | 40.7 µg/m³ | 50.2 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More environment data for Nepal
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.43 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.54 % 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 -6.53 % 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 Nepal?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nepal was 40.7 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 52.6 µg/m³ in 2018.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.8 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Nepal rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Nepal ranks 16th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.