Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Cambodia
Cambodia: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 19.43 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
19.43 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
89th
of 200 countries
All-time high
28.37 micrograms per cubic meter
in 1990
All-time low
17.77 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2015
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Cambodia, 1990–2023
Source: Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
The most recent figure for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Cambodia is 19.43 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Cambodia peaked at 28.37 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990 and was at its lowest, 17.77 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2015.
That places Cambodia 89th out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 28.37 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 27.58 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 27.43 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 27.27 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 27.12 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 25.71 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.2% |
| 1996 | 26.81 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 26.65 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 26.5 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 26.34 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 26.82 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 25.79 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 26.82 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 25.81 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 27.62 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 27.24 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 23.47 micrograms per cubic meter | -13.9% |
| 2007 | 21.92 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 21.74 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 19.76 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.1% |
| 2010 | 20.49 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 21.18 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 17.93 micrograms per cubic meter | -15.3% |
| 2013 | 21.55 micrograms per cubic meter | +20.2% |
| 2014 | 19.63 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 17.77 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.5% |
| 2016 | 19.31 micrograms per cubic meter | +8.6% |
| 2017 | 18.43 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 21.51 micrograms per cubic meter | +16.8% |
| 2019 | 18.98 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 20.94 micrograms per cubic meter | +10.3% |
| 2021 | 19.58 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.5% |
| 2022 | 19.83 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 19.43 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.1% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 19.43 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.98 micrograms per cubic meter, 75% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 19.43 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.77 micrograms per cubic meter, 2.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.98 micrograms per cubic meter | 25.71 micrograms per cubic meter | 28.37 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.7 micrograms per cubic meter | 19.76 micrograms per cubic meter | 27.62 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.68 micrograms per cubic meter | 17.77 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.55 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.94 micrograms per cubic meter | 19.43 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.94 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
- 86 Angola 19.91 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 87 Bulgaria 19.68 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 88 Kazakhstan 19.6 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 90 Serbia 19.34 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 91 Venezuela 19.2 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 92 Tunisia 18.87 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Cambodia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.5487 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.06 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.288 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.929 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.8631 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Cambodia?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Cambodia was 19.43 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, according to Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 28.37 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.77 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015.
- How does Cambodia rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Cambodia ranks 89th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cambodia data come from?
- The figures 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 part of Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.