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PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter)
Environment
PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter)
Population-weighted exposure to ambient PM2.5 pollution is defined as the average level of exposure of a nation's population to concentrations of suspended particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and causing severe health damage. Exposure is calculated by weighting mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 by population in both urban and rural areas.
World Bank code: EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3
• Data available for 200 countries • Latest year: 2020
In ,
Niger
led PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter) at 85.12.
The world median across 200 reporting countries was
20.03.
What this measures:
Population-weighted exposure to ambient PM2.5 pollution is defined as the average level of exposure of a nation's population to concentrations of suspended particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and causing severe health damage. Exposure is calculated by weighting mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 by population in both urban and rural areas.
How "Environment" indicators are measured
Environmental indicators cover emissions, land use, biodiversity, and natural resources. Emissions data is often produced by international scientific consortia (EDGAR, Global Carbon Project) and typically lags 2–3 years due to the complexity of fuel- and process-level accounting. Per-capita metrics reveal a different story than absolute totals — small wealthy countries can have high per-capita emissions while contributing little to the global total.
Distribution — 2020
Reporting
200 countries
Median
20.03
Mean
23.53
25th percentile
12.11
75th percentile
29.65
Range
4.90 – 85.12
World at a Glance — 2020
Every reporting country, grouped by region, shaded by value (quintile).
Lighter = lower value · Darker = higher value. Hover a cell to see the country and value.
Highest Values — 2020
#
Country
PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter)
Egypt, Arab Rep.Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
54.86
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