Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Costa Rica, 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
In 2023, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Costa Rica stood at 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Costa Rica peaked at 20.77 micrograms per cubic meter in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.62 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2018.
That places Costa Rica 100th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.15 micrograms per cubic meter | 19.74 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.47 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.6 micrograms per cubic meter | 18.59 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.77 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.64 micrograms per cubic meter | 17.62 micrograms per cubic meter | 19.96 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.99 micrograms per cubic meter | 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter | 18.24 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 97 Montenegro 18.45 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 98 Colombia 18.36 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 99 Liberia 17.92 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 101 Guyana 16.95 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 102 Belize 16.76 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 103 Eswatini 16.75 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Costa Rica
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 17.08 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 3.33 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 4.38 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0273 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.0074 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0131 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 6.38 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0006 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0288 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.92 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Costa Rica?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Costa Rica was 17.7 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 Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 20.77 micrograms per cubic meter in 2000.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.62 micrograms per cubic meter in 2018.
- How does Costa Rica rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Costa Rica ranks 100th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica 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.