Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Cameroon

Cameroon: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 55.6 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
55.6 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
10th
of 200 countries
All-time high
61.73 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2015
All-time low
47.19 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2001
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Cameroon, 1990–2023

02040601990200620231990: 52.6 micrograms per cubic meter1991: 50.8 micrograms per cubic meter1992: 51.2 micrograms per cubic meter1993: 51.5 micrograms per cubic meter1994: 51.9 micrograms per cubic meter1995: 48 micrograms per cubic meter1996: 52.6 micrograms per cubic meter1997: 53 micrograms per cubic meter1998: 53.4 micrograms per cubic meter1999: 53.7 micrograms per cubic meter2000: 56.2 micrograms per cubic meter2001: 47.2 micrograms per cubic meter2002: 50.3 micrograms per cubic meter2003: 48.3 micrograms per cubic meter2004: 54.9 micrograms per cubic meter2005: 51.5 micrograms per cubic meter2006: 52.5 micrograms per cubic meter2007: 54.5 micrograms per cubic meter2008: 55.3 micrograms per cubic meter2009: 53.6 micrograms per cubic meter2010: 52.9 micrograms per cubic meter2011: 52.6 micrograms per cubic meter2012: 54.6 micrograms per cubic meter2013: 52.8 micrograms per cubic meter2014: 51.6 micrograms per cubic meter2015: 61.7 micrograms per cubic meter2016: 58.1 micrograms per cubic meter2017: 58.4 micrograms per cubic meter2018: 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter2019: 52.9 micrograms per cubic meter2020: 53.5 micrograms per cubic meter2021: 53.1 micrograms per cubic meter2022: 56.6 micrograms per cubic meter2023: 55.6 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. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.

Analysis

The most recent figure for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Cameroon is 55.6 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Cameroon peaked at 61.73 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015 and was at its lowest, 47.19 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2001.

That places Cameroon 10th out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 51.88 micrograms per cubic meter 48 micrograms per cubic meter 53.74 micrograms per cubic meter 10
2000s 52.43 micrograms per cubic meter 47.19 micrograms per cubic meter 56.25 micrograms per cubic meter 10
2010s 55.01 micrograms per cubic meter 51.64 micrograms per cubic meter 61.73 micrograms per cubic meter 10
2020s 54.71 micrograms per cubic meter 53.15 micrograms per cubic meter 56.63 micrograms per cubic meter 4

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 7 Pakistan 58.37 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  2. 8 United Arab Emirates 57.19 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  3. 9 Bahrain 56.57 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  4. 11 India 54.05 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  5. 12 Nepal 53.2 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  6. 13 Iraq 49.47 micrograms per cubic meter compare

See the full ranking of 200 places →

More environment data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Cameroon?
Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Cameroon was 55.6 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 Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 61.73 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015.
What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 47.19 micrograms per cubic meter in 2001.
How does Cameroon rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
Cameroon ranks 10th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Cameroon 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.

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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.