Nicaragua vs Zambia: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution
Nicaragua
20.42 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
Zambia
20.24 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
Nicaragua rank
78th
Zambia rank
81st
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution over time
- Nicaragua
- Zambia
How they compare
Nicaragua currently reports 20.42 micrograms per cubic meter against 20.24 micrograms per cubic meter in Zambia, a difference of 0.18 micrograms per cubic meter.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Nicaragua ahead.
Nicaragua ranks 78th and Zambia ranks 81st of 200 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Nicaragua averaged higher in 3 and Zambia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nicaragua | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.7 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.64 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.06 micrograms per cubic meter | Nicaragua |
| 2000s | 23.94 micrograms per cubic meter | 23.1 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.8358 micrograms per cubic meter | Nicaragua |
| 2010s | 20.55 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.96 micrograms per cubic meter | 1.41 micrograms per cubic meter | Zambia |
| 2020s | 20.75 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.69 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.0544 micrograms per cubic meter | Nicaragua |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution, Nicaragua or Zambia?
- Nicaragua, at 20.42 micrograms per cubic meter against 20.24 micrograms per cubic meter in Zambia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution between Nicaragua and Zambia?
- 0.18 micrograms per cubic meter, with Nicaragua ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nicaragua and Zambia?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Nicaragua and Zambia rank globally for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Nicaragua ranks 78th and Zambia ranks 81st 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.