Air pollution in Cairo, Egypt

Cairo among top 10 most polluted cities in the world. 
As of April 17, 2026, 2:30 P, Cairo, Egypt, is experiencing poor air quality, with the Air Quality Index exceeding 150, placing conditions in the unhealthy range.

Air quality is dynamic and, like the weather, can change frequently. Cairo ranked as the most polluted major city in the world.

Air quality in Cairo is expected to gradually improve over time.

Additionally, large-scale urban initiatives are underway to reduce emissions and transition toward cleaner energy and sustainable growth.

The average PM2.5 concentration in 2025 for Cairo was 40.8 µg/m³, equating to an AQI of 113 (“unhealthy for sensitive groups”), which is 8.1 times the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

"In Cairo, the concentration of PM2.5 - those tiny particles in the air that can penetrate deep into your lungs - is about 12 times the limit recommended by the World Health Organization," said Martin Wolff, principal investigator of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy.
In the latest report by Swiss pollution technology company IQAir, suburban New Cairo ranks 502nd out of 6,475 cities for PM2.5, but measurements are much higher in the city center.

According to the country's environment ministry, Egypt accounts for only 0.6 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. But climate models predict that by 2050, Egypt's average annual temperature will rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius, leading to more frequent heat waves and droughts, as well as rising sea levels.

As part of its commitment to the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, Egypt has formulated an action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set a target to reduce the concentration of PM10, slightly larger particles in the air , by 50 percent by 2030.

The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a $200 million project to support Egypt's initiatives to reduce air and climate pollution from critical sectors and increase air pollution resilience in Greater Cairo. The project will focus on reducing vehicle emissions, improving solid waste management and strengthening air and climate decision-making.

Air quality in Greater Cairo has recently improved; however, ambient air pollution remains the most important problem for the city's environmental health, which greatly affects the quality of life of residents and the economy. According to recent studies, the annual economic cost of air pollution to health in the Greater Cairo area alone is about 1.4% of Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP).
The six-year Greater Cairo Air Pollution and Climate Change Project aims to support Egypt's efforts to reduce both air pollution and climate pollutant emissions in line with the country's Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030. The project will contribute to Egypt's key environmental goal of halving particulate pollution, and towards the development and implementation of a strong, cost-effective climate mitigation program that would meet Egypt's 2030 emissions reduction targets.

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), which examined air pollution around the world, Cairo is the second most polluted city in the world.

Egyptians are preparing for the next smog season.

Part of the cause of smog is that farmers hoard rice straw and burn it because they lack the means to transport the rice straw from their fields to processing centers.

The ministry is also now using satellites to identify where farmers are burning straw. It has increased its ability to receive complaints and information about violations through multiple platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, its website and a hotline.

Farmers who violate the law can be fined between 5,000 and 100,000 Egyptian pounds ($316-6,300) and could be jailed for repeated violations.

According to a report by the Egyptian Scientific Society of Bronchology, pollution causes 2,400 premature deaths, 1,500 cases of acute bronchitis, 329,000 cases of respiratory infections and 8 million asthma attacks in Egypt each year.

Farmers in areas around Cairo burn rice straw after the annual harvest to clear the fields, releasing carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, raising temperatures in the capital and causing severe respiratory problems.
While factories in the Cairo area are responsible for about half of the capital's pollution, according to a report by the National Center for Research (NCR), waste incineration is responsible for another 15%.
The WHO described that residents of Cairo breathe air that is 20 times more polluted than the acceptable daily level.

According to the World Health Organization, the average resident of Cairo breathes in more than 20 times the permissible level of air pollution every day. This means that every Cairo resident's daily intake of polluted air is similar to smoking a pack of cigarettes.

The growing number of cars, factories and power plants, as well as the use of old heating methods, such as burning coal and wood, are considered the main man-made sources of air pollution. According to a study by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Cairo has more than 2 million vehicles that emit tons of sulfur, carbon dioxide and other pollutants every day.

Although the use of environmentally friendly processes in factories is expensive, it remains a much cheaper option than getting rid of the pollution emitted by dirty factories.

The World Bank has named Cairo's air as the worst in the world for particulate pollution, the tiny fragments of soot or dust that are most damaging to human lungs. High emissions contribute to the problem, but Cairo's topography and climate make pollution even worse. The city lies in a valley surrounded by hills that store the poisoned air like water in a bowl.