Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Zambia
Zambia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 25.4 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Zambia, 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
Zambia recorded 25.4 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and up 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Zambia peaked at 25.4 µg/m³ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.6 µg/m³, in 1999.
Zambia ranks 58th of 241 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.6 µg/m³ | 11.6 µg/m³ | 13.6 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 21.35 µg/m³ | 18.4 µg/m³ | 23.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.36 µg/m³ | 19.6 µg/m³ | 22.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.72 µg/m³ | 19.3 µg/m³ | 25.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 38.52 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 1.81 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 6.39 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 2.21 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 8.56 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0539 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 18.28 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0026 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0155 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.04 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Zambia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Zambia was 25.4 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 25.4 µg/m³ in 2024.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.6 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Zambia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Zambia ranks 58th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.