Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nigeria

Nigeria: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 50 µg/m³ in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
50 µg/m³
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
8th
of 241 countries
All-time high
57.3 µg/m³
in 2008
All-time low
43.4 µg/m³
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nigeria, 1998–2024

02040601998201120241998: 51.4 µg/m³1999: 43.4 µg/m³2000: 52 µg/m³2001: 52 µg/m³2002: 54.4 µg/m³2003: 50.1 µg/m³2004: 52.7 µg/m³2005: 53.2 µg/m³2006: 51.3 µg/m³2007: 55.9 µg/m³2008: 57.3 µg/m³2009: 51.6 µg/m³2010: 50 µg/m³2011: 52.9 µg/m³2012: 50.6 µg/m³2013: 49 µg/m³2014: 47.6 µg/m³2015: 55.8 µg/m³2016: 55.2 µg/m³2017: 55.2 µg/m³2018: 51.9 µg/m³2019: 48.5 µg/m³2020: 52.6 µg/m³2021: 52.5 µg/m³2022: 54 µg/m³2023: 51.1 µg/m³2024: 50 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 Nigeria stood at 50 µg/m³.

That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nigeria peaked at 57.3 µg/m³ in 2008 and was at its lowest, 43.4 µg/m³, in 1999.

Nigeria ranks 8th of 241 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 47.4 µg/m³ 43.4 µg/m³ 51.4 µg/m³ 2
2000s 53.05 µg/m³ 50.1 µg/m³ 57.3 µg/m³ 10
2010s 51.67 µg/m³ 47.6 µg/m³ 55.8 µg/m³ 10
2020s 52.04 µg/m³ 50 µg/m³ 54 µg/m³ 5

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 5 Pakistan 53.8 µg/m³ compare
  2. 6 Cameroon 51.5 µg/m³ compare
  3. 7 Saudi Arabia 50.4 µg/m³ compare
  4. 9 Iraq 48.8 µg/m³ compare
  5. 10 Bahrain 48.1 µg/m³ compare
  6. 11 Niger 47.9 µg/m³ compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nigeria?
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Nigeria was 50 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 Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 57.3 µg/m³ in 2008.
What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 43.4 µg/m³ in 1999.
How does Nigeria rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
Nigeria ranks 8th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Nigeria 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.