Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Liberia
Liberia: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 17.92 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
17.92 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
99th
of 200 countries
All-time high
23.57 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2015
All-time low
15.51 micrograms per cubic meter
in 1995
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Liberia, 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
Liberia recorded 17.92 micrograms per cubic meter for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Liberia peaked at 23.57 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015 and was at its lowest, 15.51 micrograms per cubic meter, in 1995.
Liberia ranks 99th of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Liberia, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 18.72 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 17.63 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.8% |
| 1992 | 17.66 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 17.69 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 17.72 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 15.51 micrograms per cubic meter | -12.5% |
| 1996 | 17.79 micrograms per cubic meter | +14.7% |
| 1997 | 17.82 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 17.85 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 17.88 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 19.04 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.5% |
| 2001 | 16.14 micrograms per cubic meter | -15.3% |
| 2002 | 18.74 micrograms per cubic meter | +16.1% |
| 2003 | 15.54 micrograms per cubic meter | -17.1% |
| 2004 | 23.23 micrograms per cubic meter | +49.5% |
| 2005 | 20.64 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.1% |
| 2006 | 19.54 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 20 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 21.21 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 20.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 16.99 micrograms per cubic meter | -17.4% |
| 2011 | 21.47 micrograms per cubic meter | +26.4% |
| 2012 | 18.66 micrograms per cubic meter | -13.1% |
| 2013 | 17.31 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 16.21 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.4% |
| 2015 | 23.57 micrograms per cubic meter | +45.4% |
| 2016 | 20.9 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.3% |
| 2017 | 18.74 micrograms per cubic meter | -10.3% |
| 2018 | 18.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 17.96 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 19.13 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 16.86 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.9% |
| 2022 | 18.03 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.9% |
| 2023 | 17.92 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.6% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 17.92 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for low income countries, which is 33.29 micrograms per cubic meter, 54% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 17.92 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.49 micrograms per cubic meter, 65% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.63 micrograms per cubic meter | 15.51 micrograms per cubic meter | 18.72 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.46 micrograms per cubic meter | 15.54 micrograms per cubic meter | 23.23 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.03 micrograms per cubic meter | 16.21 micrograms per cubic meter | 23.57 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.99 micrograms per cubic meter | 16.86 micrograms per cubic meter | 19.13 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
- 96 Somalia 18.54 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 97 Montenegro 18.45 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 98 Colombia 18.36 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 100 Costa Rica 17.7 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 101 Guyana 16.95 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 102 Belize 16.76 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Liberia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.21 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.28 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.221 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.42 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.07 % 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 0.261 % 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 Liberia?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Liberia was 17.92 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 Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.57 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.51 micrograms per cubic meter in 1995.
- How does Liberia rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Liberia ranks 99th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Liberia 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.