Countries with the Most Polluted Air 2020

About This Dataset

Countries ranked by PM2.5 air pollution (micrograms per m3) in 2020, using World Bank figures for the 200 countries that reported that year. Qatar leads on 99.20, ahead of Bangladesh (72.11) and Saudi Arabia (68.40). The population-weighted average exposure to fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres, in micrograms per cubic metre. It is modelled from satellite readings and ground monitors, because most countries have too few monitors for a direct national average.

Analysis

Qatar (99.20), Bangladesh (72.11) and Saudi Arabia (68.40) take the top three. Across the twenty shown, values run from 99.20 down to 40.66, a spread of 58.54. Qatar is 1.38 times Bangladesh, the country in second place. 11 of the 20 reach half the leading figure, 49.60 or more. Qatar stood at 99.86 in 2019, so its figure fell by 0.66 over the year. Qatar also came first in 2019. Of the 20 in this table that also reported in 2019, 10 recorded a higher figure than the year before and 10 a lower one. The largest single move was Niger, from 55.46 to 65.23. The chart shows the twenty highest of 200 reporting countries, so it describes the top of the distribution rather than the world average.

Source: World Bank

Key Findings

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Qatar leads in PM2.5 Air Pollution (Micrograms per m3) with 99.20 in 2020.

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Average PM2.5 Air Pollution (Micrograms per m3) in 2020: 54 · median: 51.

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Gap in 2020: Qatar is 2.4× larger than Senegal.