Top 10 Most Polluted Cities In Africa By Air Quality 2025
A Detailed Look At Africa’s Top 10 Polluted Cities By Air Quality Index. Understand How Traffic, Industrial Smoke, And Waste Fires Impact Millions Of Urban Residents.
Walk through a morning in Lagos, and the air feels alive — not in a good way. Smoke curls up from roadside fires, engines cough black fumes, and dust from half-finished roads hangs in the heat. The same scene repeats across Africa’s biggest cities. Growth came fast, but clean air didn’t. Today, Onitsha, Cairo, and Lagos top the list of the most polluted cities in Africa by air quality — places where progress and pollution now share the same skyline.
Top 10 Most Polluted Cities in Africa by Air Quality (2025 Data)
| Rank | City | Country | Main Source of Pollution | AQI Range |
| 1 | Onitsha | Nigeria | Industrial smoke, waste burning | 190–250 |
| 2 | Cairo | Egypt | Vehicle fumes, desert dust | 170–230 |
| 3 | Lagos | Nigeria | Traffic, diesel generators | 160–220 |
| 4 | Marrakech | Morocco | Construction dust, waste fires | 150–200 |
| 5 | Casablanca | Morocco | Industrial emissions, heavy transport | 140–190 |
| 6 | Nairobi | Kenya | Exhaust, roadside construction | 130–180 |
| 7 | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | Factory smoke, low-grade fuel | 120–170 |
| 8 | Accra | Ghana | Waste burning, household smoke | 120–160 |
| 9 | Antananarivo | Madagascar | Wood fires, exhaust | 110–150 |
| 10 | Bloemfontein | South Africa | Coal plants, mining dust | 100–140 |
Top 10 Most Polluted Cities in Africa by Air Quality
It’s not just haze on the horizon — it’s the air people breathe every day. Street vendors cough mid-sentence. Kids walk to school with scarves pulled tight. There’s no dramatic moment, just quiet fatigue that sits in the lungs.
1. Onitsha, Nigeria
Factories crowd the riverbanks, and the sky stays gray long after sunrise. Burning waste adds a sour smell that never really fades.
2. Cairo, Egypt
The traffic never ends. Cars, buses, scooters — all pushing out smoke as fine desert dust drifts in from the west.
3. Lagos, Nigeria
Engines hum all night. Diesel generators fill the gaps left by power cuts, leaving a thick oily smell over the city.
4. Marrakech, Morocco
Dry winds carry dust through narrow alleys. By afternoon, it mixes with the smoke from small waste fires on the outskirts.
5. Casablanca, Morocco
The coastal wind doesn’t clear the air. It just moves the smog sideways, coating glass buildings with a thin gray film.
6. Nairobi, Kenya
Construction never stops. Cement dust, exhaust, and open fires combine into a faint metallic taste that sits in your throat.
7. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Factories hum near the city edge. A light haze settles by noon, dulling what should be bright blue skies.
8. Accra, Ghana
Night markets glow behind plumes of smoke. Trash burns quietly while the smell of charcoal drifts through narrow lanes.
9. Antananarivo, Madagascar
The morning starts cool, almost clean — until wood fires light up. Smoke gathers in the valleys and stays trapped till noon.
10. Bloemfontein, South Africa
Coal plants in the distance hum like background noise. Fine dust turns the afternoon air warm and stale.
Health and Environmental Impacts
Doctors in hospitals across Africa keep saying the same thing: more breathing issues, more chronic coughs. The air feels heavier every year. Parents notice it first — kids coughing at night, even indoors.
On farms near highways, leaves lose their shine. Dust settles on crops, water turns brown faster, and mornings no longer feel fresh. Pollution doesn’t hit all at once. It creeps in quietly — through the lungs, the soil, and even the food.
Efforts Toward Cleaner Air
Some cities are fighting back, bit by bit. Cairo rolled out electric buses on key routes. Nairobi’s green belts are getting thicker. Lagos now enforces new recycling zones to curb open waste fires. Ghana’s local groups have built small air sensors that track daily pollution levels.
Still, change feels patchy. Old vehicles stay on the road. Waste fires spark again after dark. But the difference now? People talk about it. They complain, report, organize. Awareness has finally left the research papers and landed on the streets.
Outlook and Improvement Efforts Across the Continent
Africa’s clean-air journey is far from over. But things are shifting. Renewable energy projects in Kenya and Morocco are growing. Fuel standards are tightening. Cities like Accra and Addis Ababa are slowly showing clearer mornings.
Change won’t be flashy — it’ll be slow, like the air itself starting to lighten. For now, the sky above these cities still carries a gray weight. But the movement for cleaner air has begun, and that matters.
FAQs
1. Which city is the most polluted in Africa?
Onitsha, Nigeria ranks first due to unregulated factories and open waste burning.
2. What are the main causes of air pollution in African cities?
Traffic fumes, factory smoke, and waste fires are the biggest contributors.
3. How does poor air quality affect people?
It causes breathing problems, fatigue, and frequent health issues.
4. Are African governments doing anything about it?
Yes. Cities like Cairo, Nairobi, and Lagos are introducing cleaner transport and emission rules.
5. Which cities are improving air quality?
Addis Ababa, Accra, and Nairobi have started showing better air quality readings this year.
