Countries by Air Pollution (PM2.5)

What Pm2.5 Air Pollution Measures

Pm2.5 Air Pollution is a comparative indicator tracked across countries by the World Bank. It provides a quantitative basis for cross-national comparison, enabling researchers and policymakers to benchmark national performance on this dimension against global peers.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Pm2.5 Air Pollution across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.

Global Range

Values range from 4.90 (Finland) to 85.122 (Niger) — a 17-fold difference across 200 countries.

Regional Patterns

African countries dominate this ranking, holding 14 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.

Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 12.179 to 29.929. The overall spread from 4.90 to 85.122 reflects significant global variation.

Notable Outliers

The top of the ranking is competitive: Niger and Qatar are separated by only 13%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.

Continental Leaders

Africa

Niger

85.122

Asia

Qatar

75.663

Europe

Armenia

30.58

North America

Belize

28.652

South America

Peru

27.036

Oceania

Papua New Guinea

17.311