Guinea vs South Africa: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution

Guinea
27.26 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
South Africa
27.72 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
Guinea rank
56th
South Africa rank
55th

Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution over time

  • Guinea
  • South Africa
0102030199020062023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 27.72 micrograms per cubic meter against 27.26 micrograms per cubic meter in Guinea, a difference of 0.46 micrograms per cubic meter.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Guinea ahead.

Guinea ranks 56th and South Africa ranks 55th of 200 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Guinea averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Guinea South Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 29.98 micrograms per cubic meter 23.87 micrograms per cubic meter 6.11 micrograms per cubic meter Guinea
2000s 29.28 micrograms per cubic meter 24.35 micrograms per cubic meter 4.93 micrograms per cubic meter Guinea
2010s 28.88 micrograms per cubic meter 28.52 micrograms per cubic meter 0.3596 micrograms per cubic meter Guinea
2020s 27.3 micrograms per cubic meter 28.07 micrograms per cubic meter 0.7728 micrograms per cubic meter South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution, Guinea or South Africa?
South Africa, at 27.72 micrograms per cubic meter against 27.26 micrograms per cubic meter in Guinea as of 2023.
What is the difference in average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution between Guinea and South Africa?
0.46 micrograms per cubic meter, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Guinea and South Africa?
34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
How do Guinea and South Africa rank globally for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
Guinea ranks 56th and South Africa ranks 55th 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

Indicator
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution
Unit
micrograms per cubic meter
Source
Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
200 places, 6,800 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

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.