SmogRank / World / Africa

Most polluted cities in Africa

9 of 15 measured cities in 6 countries were above the WHO 24-hour guideline over the last 24 hours. The worst was Kampala, Uganda, at 32.8 µg/m³.

ZimbabweZambiaYemenUzbekistanSaint HelenaUnited Arab Emirates: 1 measured cityUganda: 1 measured cityTurkmenistanTurkey: 1 measured cityTunisiaTogoTanzaniaSyriaEswatiniSouth SudanSudanSpain: 49 measured citiesSouth Africa: 1 measured citySomaliaSierra LeoneSeychellesSenegal: 3 measured citiesSaudi ArabiaSao Tome and PrincipeRwandaQatarPortugal: 3 measured citiesOmanNigeria: 3 measured citiesNigerNamibiaMozambiqueMoroccoWestern SaharaMauritiusMauritaniaMalta: 4 measured citiesMaliMalawi: 4 measured citiesMadagascarLibyaLiberiaLesothoLebanon: 3 measured citiesKuwaitKenyaJordanItaly: 4 measured citiesIsraelPalestinian TerritoryIraqIranGuinea-BissauGuineaGreece: 1 measured cityGhana: 3 measured citiesGambiaGabonFrance: 74 measured citiesEthiopiaEritreaEquatorial GuineaEgyptDjiboutiCyprusIvory CoastDemocratic Republic of the CongoRepublic of the CongoComorosChadCentral African RepublicCameroonBurundiBurkina FasoBotswanaBeninBahrainAzerbaijan: 1 measured cityArmenia: 1 measured cityAngolaAlgeriaAlbaniaAfghanistan
Each dot is a measured city, coloured by its PM2.5 over the last 24 hours; tap a country to open it.
← Kampala 32.8 µg/m³ 30 µg/m³15 WHO 24-hour guideline0
Every measured city in Africa, one column each, worst on the left and cleanest on the right; height is PM2.5 in µg/m³. Point at it to read a city; tap to open it.

Countries

CountryCitiesMedianCities by bandWorst city
Uganda132.8 Kampala 32.8
Malawi424.5 Mzuzu 29.2
Nigeria324.3 Ibadan 24.5
Ghana319.8 Tema 26.3
Senegal310.2 Ziguinchor 11.8
South Africa13.7 Shakaskraal 3.7

Worst cities

  1. 1Kampalalow-cost sensorsCentral Region, Uganda 952.2×
  2. 2Mzuzulow-cost sensorsNorthern Region, Malawi 881.9×
  3. 3Temalow-cost sensorsGreater Accra, Ghana 831.8×
  4. 4Lilongwelow-cost sensorsCentral Region, Malawi 831.7×
  5. 5Ibadanlow-cost sensorsOyo State, Nigeria 801.6×
  6. 6Abujalow-cost sensorsFCT, Nigeria 791.6×
  7. 7Zombalow-cost sensorsSouthern Region, Malawi 761.5×
  8. 8Lagoslow-cost sensorsLagos, Nigeria 761.5×
  9. 9Ashaimanlow-cost sensorsGreater Accra, Ghana 711.3×
  10. 10Accralow-cost sensorsGreater Accra, Ghana 600.9×
  11. 11Blantyrelow-cost sensorsSouthern Region, Malawi 560.8×
  12. 12Ziguinchorlow-cost sensorsZiguinchor, Senegal 560.8×
  13. 13Thièslow-cost sensorsThies, Senegal 530.7×
  14. 14Dakarlow-cost sensorsDakar, Senegal 500.6×
  15. 15Shakaskraallow-cost sensorsKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 210.2×
All cities in the world
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

The US EPA's Air Quality Index for PM2.5 (2024 breakpoints). Show values as: µg/m³ · US AQI · India AQI · China AQI · European AQI · UK DAQI · Canada AQHI+. About the scales

Updated 2026-10-02 09:07 UTC. Values are PM2.5 (fine particles), the median of each city's monitors, as the US AQI PM2.5 sub-index.