Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Uganda
Uganda: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 37.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Uganda, 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 Uganda stood at 37.3 µg/m³.
The figure is up 31.8% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Uganda peaked at 38.3 µg/m³ in 2001 and was at its lowest, 19 µg/m³, in 1999.
That places Uganda 24th 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 Uganda, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 25.9 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 19 µg/m³ | -26.6% |
| 2000 | 34.1 µg/m³ | +79.5% |
| 2001 | 38.3 µg/m³ | +12.3% |
| 2002 | 33.3 µg/m³ | -13.1% |
| 2003 | 33.1 µg/m³ | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 33.1 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 32 µg/m³ | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 28.9 µg/m³ | -9.7% |
| 2007 | 34.1 µg/m³ | +18.0% |
| 2008 | 33 µg/m³ | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 29.6 µg/m³ | -10.3% |
| 2010 | 34.7 µg/m³ | +17.2% |
| 2011 | 35.6 µg/m³ | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 37.4 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 38.3 µg/m³ | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 34.6 µg/m³ | -9.7% |
| 2015 | 34.9 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 34.9 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 32.2 µg/m³ | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 32.3 µg/m³ | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 34.4 µg/m³ | +6.5% |
| 2020 | 36 µg/m³ | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 36.1 µg/m³ | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 35 µg/m³ | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 28.3 µg/m³ | -19.1% |
| 2024 | 37.3 µg/m³ | +31.8% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 37.3 µg/m³ is above the median for low income countries, which is 30.8 µg/m³, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 37.3 µg/m³ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Uganda changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +79.5% | 19 µg/m³ | 34.1 µg/m³ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.45 µg/m³ | 19 µg/m³ | 25.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 32.95 µg/m³ | 28.9 µg/m³ | 38.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.93 µg/m³ | 32.2 µg/m³ | 38.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.54 µg/m³ | 28.3 µg/m³ | 37.3 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More environment data for Uganda
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -11.7 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -12.54 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.255 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.23 % 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 1.38 % 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 Uganda?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Uganda was 37.3 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 38.3 µg/m³ in 2001.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 19 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Uganda rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Uganda ranks 24th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uganda 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.