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
Latest (2023)
17.7 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
100th
of 200 countries
All-time high
20.77 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2000
All-time low
17.62 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2018
Years of data
34
1990–2023
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.
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 20.1 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 19.94 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 20 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 20.07 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 20.14 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 19.74 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 20.27 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 20.34 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 20.41 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 20.47 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 20.77 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 20.09 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 20.49 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 20.72 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 19.03 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.1% |
| 2005 | 19.52 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 18.87 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 18.59 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 18.8 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 19.14 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 19.96 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 19.31 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 18.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 19.05 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 18.36 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 19.05 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 18.26 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 18.35 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 17.62 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 17.84 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 17.97 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 18.05 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 18.24 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.06 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.8× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 15.33 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.71 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.257 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.61 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.401 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (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.
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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.