emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre by country
emissions of air pollutants divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Countries reporting
205
Highest
1,438 tonnes per square kilometre
Gibraltar
Lowest
0 tonnes per square kilometre
Greenland
Median
3.05 tonnes per square kilometre
Years covered
62
1961β2022
Data points
11,657
What the numbers show
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre is currently reported for 205 countries. The highest value is 1,438 tonnes per square kilometre in Gibraltar; the lowest is 0 tonnes per square kilometre in Greenland.
The median across all reporting countries is 3.05 tonnes per square kilometre, and the mean is 22.97 tonnes per square kilometre.
Over the past decade 83 countries rose and 122 fell. The largest increase was in Israel (up 100.0%), and the largest decrease in Palau (down 78.7%).
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gibraltar | 1,438 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 2 | Maldives | 527.98 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 6.1% | volatile |
| 3 | Bahrain | 366.15 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 25.9% | volatile |
| 4 | Bermuda | 353.69 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 0.1% | falling |
| 5 | Singapore | 334.22 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 8.6% | volatile |
| 6 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 168.56 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 15.5% | falling |
| 7 | Macao | 140.4 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 60.2% | rising |
| 8 | Hong Kong | 113.54 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 4.8% | volatile |
| 9 | Curacao | 71.65 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 25.6% | falling |
| 10 | Aruba | 48.07 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 13.7% | volatile |
| 11 | Haiti | 39.11 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 6.9% | volatile |
| 12 | Malta | 38.06 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 20.9% | volatile |
| 13 | Seychelles | 37.84 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 59.6% | volatile |
| 14 | Barbados | 31.66 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 21.3% | volatile |
| 15 | Sri Lanka | 28.51 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 1.3% | rising |
| 16 | Nigeria | 25.61 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 17 | Bangladesh | 23.94 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 9.9% | rising |
| 18 | Cayman Islands | 23.47 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 12.2% | volatile |
| 19 | Comoros | 20.09 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 9.6% | volatile |
| 20 | Vietnam | 19.05 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 29.9% | rising |
| 21 | North Korea | 18.83 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 26.6% | volatile |
| 22 | Mauritius | 18.53 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 6.4% | volatile |
| 23 | Nepal | 18.16 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 37.8% | rising |
| 24 | Pakistan | 17.74 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 39.5% | volatile |
| 25 | Qatar | 16.93 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 3.0% | volatile |
| 26 | Uganda | 16.84 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 24.5% | rising |
| 27 | Burundi | 16.52 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 14.8% | rising |
| 28 | Guatemala | 16.29 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 32.4% | volatile |
| 29 | Palau | 15.98 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 78.7% | falling |
| 30 | India | 15.8 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 2.7% | rising |
| 31 | Trinidad and Tobago | 15.67 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 29.2% | rising |
| 32 | Antigua and Barbuda | 15.33 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 9.5% | volatile |
| 33 | Rwanda | 15.19 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 13.7% | falling |
| 34 | Israel | 14.56 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 35 | Malaysia | 14.25 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 35.8% | volatile |
| 36 | China | 13.99 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 33.2% | rising |
| 37 | Netherlands | 13.6 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 32.7% | falling |
| 38 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 13.54 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 5.9% | volatile |
| 39 | Thailand | 13.49 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 37.0% | rising |
| 40 | Saint Lucia | 13.27 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 2.4% | volatile |
| 41 | British Virgin Islands | 13.09 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 8.4% | volatile |
| 42 | Togo | 12.83 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 29.1% | volatile |
| 43 | Philippines | 11.75 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 9.4% | rising |
| 44 | Grenada | 11.25 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 9.3% | volatile |
| 45 | Sao Tome and Principe | 11.23 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 8.0% | rising |
| 46 | Jamaica | 11.16 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 19.0% | rising |
| 47 | United Arab Emirates | 10.98 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 10.9% | volatile |
| 48 | Belgium | 10.11 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 49 | Czechia | 10.09 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 50 | Lebanon | 9.79 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 29.3% | rising |
| 51 | United States Virgin Islands | 9.32 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 16.4% | volatile |
| 52 | Cambodia | 9.08 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 6.0% | volatile |
| 53 | Kuwait | 8.57 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 54 | Japan | 8.4 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 31.9% | falling |
| 55 | South Korea | 8.13 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 23.2% | rising |
| 56 | Dominican Republic | 8.05 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 8.2% | rising |
| 57 | Luxembourg | 8.05 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 26.6% | falling |
| 58 | Poland | 7.77 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 23.4% | falling |
| 59 | Bhutan | 7.62 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 60 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 7.27 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 17.6% | volatile |
| 61 | Kenya | 7.27 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 22.7% | volatile |
| 62 | Gambia | 7.13 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 11.3% | volatile |
| 63 | Germany | 7.04 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 22.9% | falling |
| 64 | Indonesia | 6.9 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 46.0% | rising |
| 65 | Ethiopia | 6.87 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 7.9% | rising |
| 66 | Slovakia | 6.63 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 25.3% | falling |
| 67 | Benin | 6.6 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 32.0% | rising |
| 68 | El Salvador | 6.6 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 13.2% | falling |
| 69 | Italy | 6.55 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 25.8% | falling |
| 70 | Austria | 6.27 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 8.9% | falling |
| 71 | Sierra Leone | 6.16 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 72 | Guinea-Bissau | 5.97 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 6.0% | rising |
| 73 | Marshall Islands | 5.89 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 14.0% | falling |
| 74 | Cape Verde | 5.74 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 14.8% | rising |
| 75 | Tajikistan | 5.73 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 26.4% | rising |
| 76 | Malawi | 5.6 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 77 | Lesotho | 5.42 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 13.2% | rising |
| 78 | Liberia | 5.41 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 79 | Cote d'Ivoire | 5.19 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 5.1% | volatile |
| 80 | United Kingdom | 5.01 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 29.9% | volatile |
| 81 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4.84 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 69.2% | rising |
| 82 | Ghana | 4.78 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 32.5% | rising |
| 83 | France | 4.74 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 28.1% | falling |
| 84 | Myanmar | 4.64 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 10.9% | rising |
| 85 | Denmark | 4.58 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 35.5% | falling |
| 86 | Egypt | 4.52 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 59.1% | volatile |
| 87 | Tanzania | 4.28 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 23.8% | rising |
| 88 | Zimbabwe | 4.2 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 16.6% | rising |
| 89 | Slovenia | 4.17 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 36.6% | falling |
| 90 | Croatia | 3.82 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 25.5% | falling |
| 91 | Serbia | 3.76 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 7.4% | falling |
| 92 | Honduras | 3.75 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 18.4% | rising |
| 93 | Romania | 3.73 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 3.0% | flat |
| 94 | Switzerland | 3.63 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 33.4% | volatile |
| 95 | Burkina Faso | 3.61 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 96 | South Africa | 3.61 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 17.3% | rising |
| 97 | Hungary | 3.54 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 42.2% | falling |
| 98 | Costa Rica | 3.53 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 12.6% | rising |
| 99 | Tonga | 3.38 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 4.4% | rising |
| 100 | Guinea | 3.26 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 4.7% | rising |
| 101 | Eswatini | 3.21 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 1.1% | rising |
| 102 | Micronesia (country) | 3.19 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 12.0% | falling |
| 103 | American Samoa | 3.05 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 21.2% | volatile |
| 104 | Madagascar | 3.04 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 53.0% | volatile |
| 105 | Greece | 2.97 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 34.1% | falling |
| 106 | Tunisia | 2.93 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 2.2% | rising |
| 107 | Moldova | 2.71 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 36.7% | volatile |
| 108 | Cameroon | 2.65 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 23.4% | rising |
| 109 | Mozambique | 2.58 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 60.3% | flat |
| 110 | Dominica | 2.54 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 6.5% | volatile |
| 111 | Zambia | 2.53 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 27.6% | rising |
| 112 | Bahamas | 2.52 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 19.1% | volatile |
| 113 | Estonia | 2.48 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 114 | Portugal | 2.45 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 26.8% | rising |
| 115 | United States | 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 37.6% | falling |
| 116 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 30.5% | rising |
| 117 | Bulgaria | 2.23 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 44.7% | falling |
| 118 | Nicaragua | 2.22 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 5.2% | rising |
| 119 | French Polynesia | 2.18 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 12.8% | rising |
| 120 | Kyrgyzstan | 2.15 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 45.1% | rising |
| 121 | Djibouti | 2.14 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 12.3% | volatile |
| 122 | Equatorial Guinea | 2.12 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 20.2% | rising |
| 123 | New Caledonia | 2.12 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 26.5% | rising |
| 124 | Ukraine | 2.08 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 38.0% | falling |
| 125 | Spain | 2.07 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 17.0% | falling |
| 126 | Montenegro | 2.04 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 35.8% | falling |
| 127 | Panama | 2 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 0.9% | rising |
| 128 | Uzbekistan | 1.97 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 14.9% | falling |
| 129 | Belarus | 1.92 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 42.8% | falling |
| 130 | Senegal | 1.92 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 28.7% | rising |
| 131 | Somalia | 1.85 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 1.7% | volatile |
| 132 | North Macedonia | 1.84 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 28.1% | volatile |
| 133 | New Zealand | 1.79 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 32.0% | rising |
| 134 | Gabon | 1.78 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 32.5% | volatile |
| 135 | Laos | 1.76 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 4.6% | volatile |
| 136 | Turkmenistan | 1.73 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 67.5% | rising |
| 137 | Samoa | 1.73 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 14.3% | rising |
| 138 | Ecuador | 1.71 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 3.1% | rising |
| 139 | Lithuania | 1.71 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 27.3% | falling |
| 140 | Afghanistan | 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 11.7% | rising |
| 141 | Albania | 1.67 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 29.9% | falling |
| 142 | Turkey | 1.66 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 30.9% | flat |
| 143 | Eritrea | 1.66 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 24.5% | falling |
| 144 | Mexico | 1.65 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 31.9% | rising |
| 145 | Kiribati | 1.64 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 5.2% | rising |
| 146 | Latvia | 1.63 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 35.9% | falling |
| 147 | Cuba | 1.63 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 148 | Georgia | 1.57 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 149 | Ireland | 1.57 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 43.6% | falling |
| 150 | Azerbaijan | 1.56 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 11.6% | rising |
| 151 | Uruguay | 1.55 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 27.1% | rising |
| 152 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 1.53 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 3.8% | volatile |
| 153 | Paraguay | 1.51 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 154 | Brunei | 1.47 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 38.9% | rising |
| 155 | Puerto Rico | 1.42 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 39.3% | flat |
| 156 | Morocco | 1.42 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 157 | South Sudan | 1.36 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 24.7% | rising |
| 158 | Kazakhstan | 1.33 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 22.6% | rising |
| 159 | Syria | 1.3 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 4.1% | rising |
| 160 | Angola | 1.29 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 14.1% | rising |
| 161 | Sudan | 1.23 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 13.9% | rising |
| 162 | Colombia | 1.19 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 6.4% | flat |
| 163 | Chile | 1.16 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 32.1% | rising |
| 164 | Norway | 1.15 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 4.2% | flat |
| 165 | Cyprus | 1.13 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 21.4% | falling |
| 166 | Iraq | 1.11 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 167 | Congo | 1.05 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 8.6% | volatile |
| 168 | Fiji | 1.04 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 16.8% | rising |
| 169 | Armenia | 1.03 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 19.2% | rising |
| 170 | Finland | 0.9799 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 22.3% | falling |
| 171 | Brazil | 0.9526 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 16.4% | rising |
| 172 | Iceland | 0.9321 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 11.8% | volatile |
| 173 | Jordan | 0.8985 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 9.9% | rising |
| 174 | Iran | 0.7734 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 175 | East Timor | 0.7089 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 6.2% | volatile |
| 176 | Sweden | 0.6461 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 24.5% | falling |
| 177 | Papua New Guinea | 0.6449 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 0.1% | volatile |
| 178 | Peru | 0.6387 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 0.2% | falling |
| 179 | Oman | 0.5658 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 16.4% | rising |
| 180 | Venezuela | 0.5516 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 75.5% | rising |
| 181 | Algeria | 0.5464 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 5.9% | rising |
| 182 | Libya | 0.5095 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 24.4% | volatile |
| 183 | Niger | 0.4724 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 67.5% | rising |
| 184 | Vanuatu | 0.4628 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 11.2% | volatile |
| 185 | Chad | 0.4577 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 186 | Russia | 0.4289 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 187 | Saudi Arabia | 0.4235 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 15.5% | rising |
| 188 | Belize | 0.3951 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 1.0% | volatile |
| 189 | Mali | 0.3869 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 15.5% | rising |
| 190 | Canada | 0.3271 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 13.9% | falling |
| 191 | Yemen | 0.3161 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 21.9% | rising |
| 192 | Argentina | 0.3026 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 1.9% | falling |
| 193 | Central African Republic | 0.2823 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 0.9% | rising |
| 194 | Botswana | 0.2623 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 3.4% | rising |
| 195 | Bolivia | 0.2403 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 196 | Guyana | 0.2118 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 1.6% | rising |
| 197 | Mauritania | 0.2108 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 13.1% | volatile |
| 198 | Australia | 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 27.1% | falling |
| 199 | Solomon Islands | 0.2016 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 18.1% | volatile |
| 200 | Mongolia | 0.1841 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 43.3% | rising |
| 201 | Namibia | 0.1834 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 12.1% | volatile |
| 202 | Suriname | 0.1538 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 9.9% | volatile |
| 203 | Liechtenstein | 0.0534 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | down 3.5% | rising |
| 204 | Faroe Islands | 0.0386 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 0.4% | falling |
| 205 | Greenland | 0 tonnes per square kilometre | 2022 | up 0.7% | rising |
How this figure is calculated
emissions of air pollutants divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
emissions of air pollutants Γ· Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) β Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) β with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
emissions of air pollutants divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.