Canada vs United States: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution
Canada
6.55 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
United States
6.97 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
Canada rank
179th
United States rank
176th
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 6.97 micrograms per cubic meter against 6.55 micrograms per cubic meter in Canada, a difference of 0.42 micrograms per cubic meter.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Canada's.
Across all 34 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 179th and United States ranks 176th of 200 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.25 micrograms per cubic meter | 15.47 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.22 micrograms per cubic meter | United States |
| 2000s | 8.33 micrograms per cubic meter | 12.34 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.02 micrograms per cubic meter | United States |
| 2010s | 7.01 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.24 micrograms per cubic meter | 1.23 micrograms per cubic meter | United States |
| 2020s | 6.7 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.59 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.8897 micrograms per cubic meter | United States |
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 United States?
- United States, at 6.97 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 United States?
- 0.42 micrograms per cubic meter, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Canada ranks 179th and United States ranks 176th 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.