Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Chile
Chile: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 23.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Chile, 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 Chile is 23.1 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.8% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Chile peaked at 29.17 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 and was at its lowest, 20.01 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2020.
That places Chile 67th 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 Chile, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 26.75 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 26.42 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 26.48 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 26.55 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 26.62 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 25.88 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 26.75 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 26.82 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 26.88 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 26.95 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 27.42 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 27.41 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 27.12 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 27.11 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 25.98 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 25.59 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 22.77 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.0% |
| 2007 | 21.68 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 21.82 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 21.74 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 21.6 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 23.88 micrograms per cubic meter | +10.6% |
| 2012 | 21.57 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.7% |
| 2013 | 21.4 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 21.81 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 22.62 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 22.46 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 21.66 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 20.6 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 20.76 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 20.01 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 22.06 micrograms per cubic meter | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 29.17 micrograms per cubic meter | +32.2% |
| 2023 | 23.1 micrograms per cubic meter | -20.8% |
Chile compared with similar countries
- Chile's 23.1 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.06 micrograms per cubic meter, 2.3× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Chile's 23.1 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 15.33 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.5× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Chile changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +32.2% | 22.06 micrograms per cubic meter | 29.17 micrograms per cubic meter |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.61 micrograms per cubic meter | 25.88 micrograms per cubic meter | 26.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.86 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.68 micrograms per cubic meter | 27.42 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.84 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.6 micrograms per cubic meter | 23.88 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.59 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.01 micrograms per cubic meter | 29.17 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Chile
- 64 Azerbaijan 23.71 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 65 South Sudan 23.67 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 66 Thailand 23.49 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 68 Sri Lanka 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 69 Sierra Leone 22.46 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 70 Palestine 22.39 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Chile
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.3357 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.266 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.82 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.1 % 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 0.202 % 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 Chile?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Chile was 23.1 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 Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 29.17 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.01 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020.
- How does Chile rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Chile ranks 67th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Chile 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
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.