PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim Target-3 value (% of total) by country
Percent of population exposed to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) Interim Target 3 (IT-3) is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 15 micrograms per cubic meter. The Air Quality...
Countries reporting
194
Highest
100.0%
Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of
Lowest
0.0%
Samoa
Median
99.3%
Years covered
28
1990–2017
Data points
2,328
What the numbers show
PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim Target-3 value (% of total) is currently reported for 194 countries. The highest value is 100.0% in Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of; the lowest is 0.0% in Samoa.
The median across all reporting countries is 99.3%, and the mean is 69.2%.
Over the past decade 8 countries rose and 95 fell. The largest increase was in Liberia (up 25.9%), and the largest decrease in Andorra, Principality of (down 100.0%).
PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Angola | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | United Arab Emirates | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Armenia, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Antigua and Barbuda | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Azerbaijan, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Burundi | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Benin | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Burkina Faso | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bangladesh | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bahrain, Kingdom of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Belize | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Barbados | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bhutan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Botswana | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Central African Republic | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Côte d'Ivoire | 100.0% | 2017 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 1 | Cameroon | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Congo, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Comoros, Union of the | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Cabo Verde | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Djibouti | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Dominica | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Algeria | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Egypt, Arab Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Eritrea, The State of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Ethiopia, The Federal Democratic Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Gabon | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Ghana | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Gambia, The | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Guinea-Bissau | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Equatorial Guinea, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Grenada | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Iraq | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Jordan | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Kenya | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Korea, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Kuwait | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Libya | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | St. Lucia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Lesotho, Kingdom of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Morocco | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Madagascar, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Mali | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Mozambique, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Mauritania, Islamic Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Malawi | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Namibia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Niger | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Nigeria | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Nepal | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Oman | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Pakistan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Korea, Democratic People's Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Palestine | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Qatar | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Rwanda | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Sudan | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Senegal | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Singapore | 100.0% | 2017 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Sierra Leone | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | El Salvador | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 1 | Somalia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | South Sudan, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | São Tomé and Príncipe, Democratic Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Eswatini, Kingdom of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Seychelles | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Syrian Arab Republic | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Chad | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Togo | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Tajikistan, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Trinidad and Tobago | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Tunisia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Uganda | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Yemen, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Zambia | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Zimbabwe | 100.0% | 2017 | unchanged | flat |
| 82 | Myanmar | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 83 | Türkiye, Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 84 | Guatemala | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 85 | Cambodia | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 86 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 100.0% | 2017 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 87 | Turkmenistan | 100.0% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 88 | Guinea | 99.9% | 2017 | up 3.9% | flat |
| 89 | India | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 90 | China (People’s Republic of) | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 91 | North Macedonia, Republic of | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 92 | South Africa | 99.9% | 2017 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 93 | Lebanon | 99.9% | 2017 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 94 | Suriname | 99.7% | 2017 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 95 | Thailand | 99.6% | 2017 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 96 | Montenegro | 99.6% | 2017 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 97 | Liberia | 99.4% | 2017 | up 25.9% | falling |
| 98 | Vietnam | 99.2% | 2017 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 99 | Guyana | 99.2% | 2017 | down 0.6% | flat |
| 100 | Serbia, Republic of | 99.1% | 2017 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 101 | Georgia | 98.9% | 2017 | down 1.1% | flat |
| 102 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 98.6% | 2017 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 103 | Ukraine | 97.9% | 2017 | down 1.9% | flat |
| 104 | Uzbekistan, Republic of | 97.7% | 2017 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 105 | Peru | 97.2% | 2017 | down 2.5% | flat |
| 106 | Honduras | 96.6% | 2017 | down 3.3% | flat |
| 107 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 96.3% | 2017 | down 3.5% | flat |
| 108 | Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of | 96.3% | 2017 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 109 | Bolivia | 95.8% | 2017 | down 4.1% | flat |
| 110 | Israel | 94.1% | 2017 | down 3.3% | flat |
| 111 | Cyprus | 91.5% | 2017 | down 7.9% | flat |
| 112 | Slovak Republic | 90.9% | 2017 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 113 | Bahamas, The | 90.5% | 2017 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 114 | Belarus, Republic of | 90.2% | 2017 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 115 | Mongolia | 89.9% | 2017 | up 0.7% | rising |
| 116 | Bulgaria | 89.4% | 2017 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 117 | Poland, Republic of | 87.2% | 2017 | down 10.1% | falling |
| 118 | Mexico | 86.6% | 2017 | down 12.6% | falling |
| 119 | Albania | 84.6% | 2017 | down 13.1% | falling |
| 120 | Chile | 82.3% | 2017 | down 11.4% | falling |
| 121 | Philippines | 78.6% | 2017 | down 9.2% | falling |
| 122 | Moldova, Republic of | 77.8% | 2017 | down 17.3% | falling |
| 123 | Nicaragua | 75.7% | 2017 | down 22.6% | falling |
| 124 | Croatia, Republic of | 73.9% | 2017 | down 20.4% | falling |
| 125 | Venezuela, República Bolivariana de | 72.1% | 2017 | down 26.7% | falling |
| 126 | Cuba | 63.8% | 2017 | down 36.0% | falling |
| 127 | Kyrgyz Republic | 63.4% | 2017 | down 23.2% | falling |
| 128 | Slovenia, Republic of | 62.7% | 2017 | down 34.2% | falling |
| 129 | Mauritius | 60.7% | 2017 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 130 | Russian Federation | 60.0% | 2017 | down 26.2% | falling |
| 131 | Malta | 59.1% | 2017 | down 14.1% | falling |
| 132 | Hungary | 58.8% | 2017 | down 41.2% | falling |
| 133 | Malaysia | 58.8% | 2017 | down 27.1% | falling |
| 134 | Colombia | 58.4% | 2017 | down 30.6% | falling |
| 135 | Costa Rica | 57.7% | 2017 | down 38.6% | falling |
| 136 | Greece | 56.9% | 2017 | down 35.1% | falling |
| 137 | Italy | 53.3% | 2017 | down 28.7% | falling |
| 138 | Czech Republic | 52.5% | 2017 | down 43.7% | falling |
| 139 | Indonesia | 52.0% | 2017 | down 31.2% | falling |
| 140 | Ecuador | 46.8% | 2017 | down 50.3% | falling |
| 141 | Sri Lanka | 43.5% | 2017 | down 56.5% | falling |
| 142 | Romania | 42.3% | 2017 | down 38.1% | falling |
| 143 | Haiti | 40.4% | 2017 | down 59.6% | falling |
| 144 | Dominican Republic | 29.3% | 2017 | down 60.1% | falling |
| 145 | Kazakhstan, Republic of | 24.4% | 2017 | down 39.7% | falling |
| 146 | Argentina | 20.6% | 2017 | down 58.2% | falling |
| 147 | Brazil | 19.0% | 2017 | down 56.8% | falling |
| 148 | Latvia, Republic of | 16.9% | 2017 | down 70.0% | falling |
| 149 | Jamaica | 14.5% | 2017 | down 70.5% | falling |
| 150 | Austria | 14.1% | 2017 | down 75.2% | falling |
| 151 | United States Virgin Islands | 10.0% | 2017 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 152 | Japan | 9.7% | 2017 | down 73.9% | falling |
| 153 | Australia | 9.2% | 2017 | down 49.5% | falling |
| 154 | Belgium | 9.2% | 2017 | down 85.0% | volatile |
| 155 | France | 9.1% | 2017 | down 77.1% | falling |
| 156 | Lithuania, Republic of | 8.3% | 2017 | down 65.8% | volatile |
| 157 | Germany | 6.8% | 2017 | down 78.6% | volatile |
| 158 | Papua New Guinea | 3.1% | 2017 | down 83.3% | volatile |
| 159 | Paraguay | 2.9% | 2017 | down 91.9% | volatile |
| 160 | Switzerland | 1.4% | 2017 | down 90.9% | volatile |
| 161 | United Kingdom | 1.2% | 2017 | down 84.8% | volatile |
| 162 | Spain | 1.0% | 2017 | down 91.0% | volatile |
| 163 | Panama | 0.9% | 2017 | down 97.6% | volatile |
| 164 | United States | 0.3% | 2017 | down 42.9% | falling |
| 165 | Netherlands, The | 0.0% | 2017 | down 99.9% | volatile |
| 166 | Andorra, Principality of | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | American Samoa | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Bermuda | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Brunei Darussalam | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Canada | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 166 | Denmark | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Estonia, Republic of | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Finland | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Fiji, Republic of | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Micronesia, Federated States of | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Greenland | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Guam | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Ireland | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Iceland | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Kiribati | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 166 | Luxembourg | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 166 | Maldives | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Marshall Islands, Republic of the | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Northern Mariana Islands | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 166 | Norway | 0.0% | 2017 | — | volatile |
| 166 | New Zealand | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Puerto Rico | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Portugal | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Solomon Islands | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Sweden | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Tonga | 0.0% | 2017 | — | flat |
| 166 | Uruguay | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Vanuatu | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 166 | Samoa | 0.0% | 2017 | down 100.0% | volatile |
About this data
Percent of population exposed to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) Interim Target 3 (IT-3) is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 15 micrograms per cubic meter. The Air Quality Guideline (AQG) of 10 micrograms per cubic meter is recommended by the WHO as the lower end of the range of concentrations over which adverse health effects due to PM2.5 exposure have been observed.