Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in Kenya
Kenya: Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita was 20.25 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
20.25 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
80th
of 200 countries
All-time high
22.7 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2020
All-time low
14.6 micrograms per cubic meter
in 1991
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in Kenya, 1990–2023
Source: Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 20.25 micrograms per cubic meter for exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Kenya peaked at 22.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020 and was at its lowest, 14.6 micrograms per cubic meter, in 1991.
That places Kenya 80th out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in Kenya, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 14.86 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 14.6 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 15.01 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 15.43 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 15.84 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 14.91 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.8% |
| 1996 | 16.66 micrograms per cubic meter | +11.7% |
| 1997 | 17.07 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 17.48 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 17.89 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 18.97 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 21.76 micrograms per cubic meter | +14.7% |
| 2002 | 20.35 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.5% |
| 2003 | 17.48 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.1% |
| 2004 | 16.85 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 16.61 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 19.57 micrograms per cubic meter | +17.8% |
| 2007 | 21.04 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.5% |
| 2008 | 20.96 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 19.47 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 21.81 micrograms per cubic meter | +12.0% |
| 2011 | 21.8 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 21.05 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 21.31 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 18.9 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.3% |
| 2015 | 18.82 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 19.37 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 18.11 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 19.83 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.5% |
| 2019 | 20.25 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 22.7 micrograms per cubic meter | +12.1% |
| 2021 | 20.74 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 20.77 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 20.25 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 20.25 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.98 micrograms per cubic meter, 78% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 20.25 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.49 micrograms per cubic meter, 74% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.98 micrograms per cubic meter | 14.6 micrograms per cubic meter | 17.89 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.31 micrograms per cubic meter | 16.61 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.76 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.13 micrograms per cubic meter | 18.11 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.81 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.12 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.25 micrograms per cubic meter | 22.7 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 77 Indonesia 20.84 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 78 Nicaragua 20.42 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 79 Cote d'Ivoire 20.39 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 81 Zambia 20.24 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 82 Cape Verde 20.19 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 83 Tanzania 20.17 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More economy & growth data for Kenya
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.28 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 417.66 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0035 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 7.4 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 463.44 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -8.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0038 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 8.21 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 23.12 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Kenya?
- Exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Kenya was 20.25 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, according to Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 22.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020.
- What is the lowest exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.6 micrograms per cubic meter in 1991.
- How does Kenya rank for exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita?
- Kenya ranks 80th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.