Which country in Africa has the most polluted air?

Nigeria has the most polluted air in Africa: 65.7 µg/m³ (2023). Next come Niger (65.2 µg/m³) and Cameroon (55.6 µg/m³).

Which country in Africa has the cleanest air?

The Seychelles, with 9.3 µg/m³ (2023).

What is the typical air pollution (pm2.5) of a country in Africa?

The median of the 54 countries in Africa is 26.9 µg/m³: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.

Where do the figures come from?

The average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air people breathe over a year, in micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s guideline is 5. Source: World Bank, 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Countries in Africa by air pollution (pm2.5)

The average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air people breathe over a year, in micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s guideline is 5. 54 countries in Africa, highest first. World Bank, 2023

See it on the map

Map: Air pollution (PM2.5) — Africa — **7.6**1216202737No data

Highest

65.7

Nigeria

Median country

26.9

half above, half below

Lowest

9.3

Seychelles

Countries in Africa by air pollution (pm2.5), World Bank, 2023
#	Country	µg/m³	Region
1	Nigeria	65.7	Western Africa
2	Niger	65.2	Western Africa
3	Cameroon	55.6	Middle Africa
4	Mauritania	46.5	Western Africa
5	Egypt	43.1	Northern Africa
6	Chad	43.0	Middle Africa
7	Equatorial Guinea	42.2	Middle Africa
8	Senegal	41.6	Western Africa
9	Djibouti	40.3	Eastern Africa
10	Benin	39.7	Western Africa
11	Gambia	38.3	Western Africa
12	Sudan	37.6	Northern Africa
13	Burkina Faso	37.3	Western Africa
14	Congo	36.5	Middle Africa
15	Rwanda	36.0	Eastern Africa
16	DR Congo	35.8	Middle Africa
17	Burundi	35.7	Eastern Africa
18	Mali	35.5	Western Africa
19	Togo	34.3	Western Africa
20	Eritrea	33.7	Eastern Africa
21	Central African Republic	33.3	Middle Africa
22	Guinea-Bissau	32.3	Western Africa
23	Gabon	31.3	Middle Africa
24	Uganda	31.2	Eastern Africa
25	Ghana	28.1	Western Africa
26	South Africa	27.7	Southern Africa
27	Guinea	27.3	Western Africa
28	Lesotho	26.4	Southern Africa
29	Ethiopia	23.8	Eastern Africa
30	South Sudan	23.7	Eastern Africa
31	Sierra Leone	22.5	Western Africa
32	Côte d'Ivoire	20.4	Western Africa
33	Kenya	20.3	Eastern Africa
=34	Cabo Verde	20.2	Western Africa
=34	Tanzania	20.2	Eastern Africa
=34	Zambia	20.2	Eastern Africa
37	Libya	20.0	Northern Africa
38	Angola	19.9	Middle Africa
39	Tunisia	18.9	Northern Africa
40	Morocco	18.7	Northern Africa
41	Somalia	18.5	Eastern Africa
42	Liberia	17.9	Western Africa
=43	Eswatini	16.7	Southern Africa
=43	Malawi	16.7	Eastern Africa
45	Algeria	16.5	Northern Africa
46	São Tomé and Principe	15.1	Middle Africa
47	Zimbabwe	15.0	Eastern Africa
48	Namibia	14.2	Southern Africa
49	Mauritius	14.1	Eastern Africa
50	Mozambique	13.7	Eastern Africa
51	Botswana	13.2	Southern Africa
52	Madagascar	12.4	Eastern Africa
53	Comoros	10.2	Eastern Africa
54	Seychelles	9.3	Eastern Africa

Questions

Which country in Africa has the most polluted air?: Nigeria has the most polluted air in Africa: 65.7 µg/m³ (2023). Next come Niger (65.2 µg/m³) and Cameroon (55.6 µg/m³).
Which country in Africa has the cleanest air?: The Seychelles, with 9.3 µg/m³ (2023).
What is the typical air pollution (pm2.5) of a country in Africa?: The median of the 54 countries in Africa is 26.9 µg/m³: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
Where do the figures come from?: The average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air people breathe over a year, in micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s guideline is 5. Source: World Bank, 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.