Belize vs Costa Rica: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution
Belize
16.76 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
Costa Rica
17.7 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
Belize rank
102nd
Costa Rica rank
100th
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution over time
- Belize
- Costa Rica
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter against 16.76 micrograms per cubic meter in Belize, a difference of 0.94 micrograms per cubic meter.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times Belize's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Belize ranks 102nd and Costa Rica ranks 100th of 200 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belize | Costa Rica | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.32 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.15 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.8303 micrograms per cubic meter | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 17.44 micrograms per cubic meter | 19.6 micrograms per cubic meter | 2.16 micrograms per cubic meter | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 16.05 micrograms per cubic meter | 18.64 micrograms per cubic meter | 2.59 micrograms per cubic meter | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 17.19 micrograms per cubic meter | 17.99 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.7957 micrograms per cubic meter | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution, Belize or Costa Rica?
- Costa Rica, at 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter against 16.76 micrograms per cubic meter in Belize as of 2023.
- What is the difference in average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution between Belize and Costa Rica?
- 0.94 micrograms per cubic meter, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belize and Costa Rica?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Belize and Costa Rica rank globally for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Belize ranks 102nd and Costa Rica ranks 100th of 200 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The average level of exposure of the population to suspended particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and damaging health. This is measured in micrograms per cubic meter.