SmogRank / World / Africa

Most polluted cities in Africa

14 of 14 measured cities in 7 countries were above the WHO annual guideline so far this year. The worst was Kampala, Uganda, at 61.4 µg/m³.

Zimbabwe: 2 measured citiesZambiaYemenUzbekistanSaint HelenaUnited Arab Emirates: 1 measured cityUganda: 1 measured cityTurkmenistanTurkey: 1 measured cityTunisiaTogoTanzaniaSyriaEswatiniSouth SudanSudanSpainSouth Africa: 1 measured citySomaliaSierra LeoneSeychellesSenegal: 3 measured citiesSaudi ArabiaSao Tome and PrincipeRwandaQatarPortugal: 3 measured citiesOmanNigeria: 1 measured cityNigerNamibiaMozambiqueMoroccoWestern SaharaMauritiusMauritaniaMalta: 2 measured citiesMaliMalawi: 4 measured citiesMadagascarLibyaLiberiaLesothoLebanon: 2 measured citiesKuwaitKenyaJordanItaly: 1 measured cityIsraelPalestinian TerritoryIraqIranGuinea-BissauGuineaGreece: 4 measured citiesGhana: 2 measured citiesGambiaGabonFrance: 100 measured citiesEthiopiaEritreaEquatorial GuineaEgyptDjiboutiCyprusIvory CoastDemocratic Republic of the CongoRepublic of the CongoComorosChadCentral African RepublicCameroonBurundiBurkina FasoBotswanaBeninBahrainAzerbaijanArmenia: 1 measured cityAngolaAlgeriaAlbaniaAfghanistan
Each dot is a measured city, coloured by its PM2.5 so far this year; tap a country to open it.
← Kampala 61.4 µg/m³ 60 µg/m³5 WHO annual guideline
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
Uganda161.4 Kampala 61.4
Nigeria132.0 Lagos 32.0
Malawi428.7 Lilongwe 47.8
Ghana227.7 Ashaiman 29.8
Zimbabwe221.3 Beitbridge 27.8
South Africa114.9 Shakaskraal 14.9
Senegal313.7 Ziguinchor 15.6

Worst cities

  1. 1Kampalalow-cost sensorsCentral Region, Uganda 15512.3×
  2. 2Lilongwelow-cost sensorsCentral Region, Malawi 1319.6×
  3. 3Lagoslow-cost sensorsLagos, Nigeria 946.4×
  4. 4Ashaimanlow-cost sensorsGreater Accra, Ghana 906.0×
  5. 5Karongalow-cost sensorsNorthern Region, Malawi 885.8×
  6. 6Blantyrelow-cost sensorsSouthern Region, Malawi 875.7×
  7. 7Beitbridgelow-cost sensorsMatabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe 865.6×
  8. 8Temalow-cost sensorsGreater Accra, Ghana 825.1×
  9. 9Mzuzulow-cost sensorsNorthern Region, Malawi 703.9×
  10. 10Ziguinchorlow-cost sensorsZiguinchor, Senegal 633.1×
  11. 11Shakaskraallow-cost sensorsKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 623.0×
  12. 12Hararelow-cost sensorsHarare, Zimbabwe 623.0×
  13. 13Dakarlow-cost sensorsDakar, Senegal 602.7×
  14. 14Thièslow-cost sensorsThies, Senegal 491.8×
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.