- Business Insider Africa presents the top 5 most polluted African countries mid-2024.
- This list is courtesy of Numbeo’s mid-year quality of life index.
- Nigeria ranks number 1 on the list.
Place your adverts here on InfoDig @ low rates; banner ads, sponsored links and guest articles etc. Contact us
Pollution is frequently addressed in terms of health and environmental concerns, but its economic toll in several African countries poses a significant conversation. As Africa urbanizes rapidly, pollution-related costs also rise, straining public health systems, reducing productivity, and limiting economic growth.
One of the most significant direct consequences of pollution on African economies is the expense of healthcare.
In cities across the continent, air and water pollution is the major cause of respiratory ailments, amongst other diseases.
This of course puts a massive strain on the finances, as countries are forced to allocate higher budgets to health care programs.
This expense is also outside of the indirect losses pollution causes to an economy via health concerns. For example, productivity is hampered if a good number of the working class population have to deal with frequent illnesses.
Additionally, pollution contributes considerably to environmental deterioration and climate change, which have far-reaching economic consequences.
Africa is especially vulnerable to climate change, with rising temperatures, altering rainfall patterns, and more droughts and floods. Pollution exacerbates these impacts, which affect agriculture, water supply, and biodiversity.
Each country on the continent endures different levels of pollution. While some countries have manageable pollution indexes, some are not as fortunate.
Numbeo, an online database of perceived metrics that determine quality of life, has a pollution index that provides an estimation of overall pollution levels worldwide.
This index is a result of an intricately constructed survey which considers factors such as air and water pollution, garbage disposal, cleanliness, noise and light pollution, green spaces, and comfort in relation to pollution. See methodology here…
With that said, here are the countries with the highest pollution indexes in Africa.
Top 5 most polluted African countries mid-2024
| 1. | Nigeria | 88.2 | 2nd |
| 2. | Egypt | 82.7 | 5th |
| 3. | Kenya | 69.0 | 20th |
| 4. | Morocco | 68.7 | 21st |
| 5. | South Africa | 56.7 | 42nd |
)
