World and society · ranked by Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution
Countries with the worst PM2.5 air pollution
| # | Name | Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 107.76 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 2 | 73.52 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 3 | 69.25 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 4 | 65.74 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 5 | 65.23 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 6 | 62.35 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 7 | 58.37 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 8 | 57.19 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 9 | 56.57 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 10 | 55.6 micrograms per cubic meter | new |
Show positions 11–50
| 11 | 54.05 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 12 | 53.2 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 13 | 49.47 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 14 | 46.86 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 15 | 46.84 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 16 | 46.5 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 17 | 43.15 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 18 | 42.96 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 19 | 42.69 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 20 | 42.22 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 21 | 41.65 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 22 | 40.3 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 23 | 40.25 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 24 | 39.66 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 25 | 38.27 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 26 | 37.95 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 27 | 37.61 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 28 | 37.32 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 29 | 36.54 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 30 | 36.01 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 31 | 35.81 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 32 | 35.69 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 33 | 35.52 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 34 | 35.07 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 35 | 34.33 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 36 | 33.66 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 37 | 33.35 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 38 | 33.29 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 39 | 32.77 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 40 | 32.63 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 41 | 32.29 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 42 | 32.06 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 43 | 31.99 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 44 | 31.32 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 45 | 31.25 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 46 | 31.21 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 47 | 31.09 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 48 | 30.72 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 49 | 30.07 micrograms per cubic meter | new | |
| 50 | 29.68 micrograms per cubic meter | new |
History
How the top 10 has moved
Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.
About this ranking
Countries with the worst PM2.5 air pollution, explained
Countries with the worst PM2.5 air pollution is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in world and society by Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-29. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.
Qatar currently holds #1 with 107.76 micrograms per cubic meter. Saudi Arabia is second with 73.52 micrograms per cubic meter, which puts the leader 47% ahead. Bangladesh completes the top three with 69.25 micrograms per cubic meter. Together the top three account for about 37% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.
How it is measured: PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter). The average level of exposure of the population to suspended particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and damaging health. This is Our World in Data chart "average-exposure-pm25-pollution"; most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded. Caveat: Years differ by country; the chart page documents the original source and its limitations. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.
Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is #1 in Countries with the worst PM2.5 air pollution?
- Qatar is #1 with 107.76 micrograms per cubic meter, as of 2026-10-29. Saudi Arabia is #2.
- How is Countries with the worst PM2.5 air pollution ranked?
- By Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution. PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter). The average level of exposure of the population to suspended particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and damaging health. This is Our World in Data chart "average-exposure-pm25-pollution"; most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded.
- How often is this ranking updated?
- It refreshes on a fixed schedule from Our World in Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-10-29.
- Where does the data come from?
- Our World in Data. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.