emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre was 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022. ▲ Rising
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Afghanistan, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and up 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Afghanistan peaked at 1.74 tonnes per square kilometre in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.4317 tonnes per square kilometre, in 2002.
Afghanistan ranks 140th of 207 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.457 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.494 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.1% |
| 1963 | 0.49 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 0.5347 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.1% |
| 1965 | 0.5661 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.9% |
| 1966 | 0.5929 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 1967 | 0.5753 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1968 | 0.5235 tonnes per square kilometre | -9.0% |
| 1969 | 0.5475 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.6% |
| 1970 | 0.6617 tonnes per square kilometre | +20.9% |
| 1971 | 0.7709 tonnes per square kilometre | +16.5% |
| 1972 | 0.6651 tonnes per square kilometre | -13.7% |
| 1973 | 0.6198 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.8% |
| 1974 | 0.6519 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 1975 | 0.7575 tonnes per square kilometre | +16.2% |
| 1976 | 0.7542 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 0.8415 tonnes per square kilometre | +11.6% |
| 1978 | 0.9047 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.5% |
| 1979 | 1.08 tonnes per square kilometre | +19.1% |
| 1980 | 0.8577 tonnes per square kilometre | -20.4% |
| 1981 | 0.8941 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 1982 | 0.9301 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 1.05 tonnes per square kilometre | +13.2% |
| 1984 | 1.12 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1985 | 1.01 tonnes per square kilometre | -10.2% |
| 1986 | 0.737 tonnes per square kilometre | -26.7% |
| 1987 | 1.24 tonnes per square kilometre | +68.2% |
| 1988 | 1.12 tonnes per square kilometre | -9.8% |
| 1989 | 1.15 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 1.55 tonnes per square kilometre | +34.9% |
| 1991 | 1.51 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.9% |
| 1992 | 1 tonnes per square kilometre | -33.4% |
| 1993 | 1.02 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 1.01 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 0.8672 tonnes per square kilometre | -14.0% |
| 1996 | 0.8309 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.2% |
| 1997 | 0.7578 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.8% |
| 1998 | 0.7242 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 0.5778 tonnes per square kilometre | -20.2% |
| 2000 | 0.4855 tonnes per square kilometre | -16.0% |
| 2001 | 0.4984 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 0.4317 tonnes per square kilometre | -13.4% |
| 2003 | 0.4681 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 0.4834 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 0.5204 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 0.5465 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 0.6808 tonnes per square kilometre | +24.6% |
| 2008 | 0.7184 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 1 tonnes per square kilometre | +39.8% |
| 2010 | 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre | +24.9% |
| 2011 | 1.51 tonnes per square kilometre | +20.7% |
| 2012 | 1.51 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.51 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 1.38 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.4% |
| 2015 | 1.68 tonnes per square kilometre | +21.4% |
| 2016 | 1.47 tonnes per square kilometre | -12.7% |
| 2017 | 1.51 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 1.63 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 1.71 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 1.74 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.5% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.58 tonnes per square kilometre, 66% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Afghanistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +68.2% | 0.737 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.24 tonnes per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5312 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.457 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.5929 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.7705 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.6198 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.08 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.01 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.737 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.24 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9849 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.5778 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.55 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5837 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.4317 tonnes per square kilometre | 1 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.51 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.71 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.74 tonnes per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 137 Samoa 1.73 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 138 Ecuador 1.71 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 139 Lithuania 1.71 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 141 Albania 1.67 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 142 Turkey 1.66 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 143 Eritrea 1.66 tonnes per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for Afghanistan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 79.22 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 23,854 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,965 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 17,889 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 22.51 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 638.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,345 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,090 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,255 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.11 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Afghanistan?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Afghanistan was 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.74 tonnes per square kilometre in 2021.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4317 tonnes per square kilometre in 2002.
- How does Afghanistan rank for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre?
- Afghanistan ranks 140th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
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 ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – 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.