Canada vs New Zealand: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution over time
- Canada
- New Zealand
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 6.88 micrograms per cubic meter against 6.55 micrograms per cubic meter in Canada, a difference of 0.33 micrograms per cubic meter.
That makes New Zealand's figure about 1.1 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Canada ahead.
Canada ranks 179th and New Zealand ranks 177th of 200 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 3 and New Zealand in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.25 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.37 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.8849 micrograms per cubic meter | Canada |
| 2000s | 8.33 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.59 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.7349 micrograms per cubic meter | Canada |
| 2010s | 7.01 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.81 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.2043 micrograms per cubic meter | Canada |
| 2020s | 6.7 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.89 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.1899 micrograms per cubic meter | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution, Canada or New Zealand?
- New Zealand, at 6.88 micrograms per cubic meter against 6.55 micrograms per cubic meter in Canada as of 2023.
- What is the difference in average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution between Canada and New Zealand?
- 0.33 micrograms per cubic meter, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and New Zealand?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Canada and New Zealand rank globally for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Canada ranks 179th and New Zealand ranks 177th 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.