Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Maldives
Maldives: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 11.16 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Maldives, 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 Maldives is 11.16 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.2% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Maldives peaked at 28.86 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990 and was at its lowest, 10.41 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2022.
Maldives ranks 146th of 200 countries on this measure, 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 Maldives, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 28.86 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 28.59 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 27.81 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 27.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 26.26 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 26.51 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 24.71 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.8% |
| 1997 | 23.93 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 23.15 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 22.37 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 21.08 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.8% |
| 2001 | 20.37 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 20.42 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 20.7 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 21.72 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 20.17 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.1% |
| 2006 | 16.14 micrograms per cubic meter | -20.0% |
| 2007 | 13.52 micrograms per cubic meter | -16.3% |
| 2008 | 13.91 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 14.08 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 11.69 micrograms per cubic meter | -17.0% |
| 2011 | 14.69 micrograms per cubic meter | +25.6% |
| 2012 | 12.69 micrograms per cubic meter | -13.6% |
| 2013 | 12.77 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 12.25 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 11.15 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.0% |
| 2016 | 14.58 micrograms per cubic meter | +30.8% |
| 2017 | 14.53 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 13.27 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 11.77 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.3% |
| 2020 | 11.06 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 10.75 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 10.41 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 11.16 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.2% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 11.16 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.51 micrograms per cubic meter, 60% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 11.16 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for South Asia, which is 41.64 micrograms per cubic meter, 27% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Maldives 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +30.8% | 11.15 micrograms per cubic meter | 14.58 micrograms per cubic meter |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.92 micrograms per cubic meter | 22.37 micrograms per cubic meter | 28.86 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.21 micrograms per cubic meter | 13.52 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.72 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.94 micrograms per cubic meter | 11.15 micrograms per cubic meter | 14.69 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.85 micrograms per cubic meter | 10.41 micrograms per cubic meter | 11.16 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
- 143 Dominica 11.52 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 144 Japan 11.45 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 145 Monaco 11.38 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 147 Grenada 11.03 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 148 Barbados 10.91 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 149 Uruguay 10.85 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Maldives
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.252 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.911 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.75 % 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 -100 % change on previous year (1991)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 4.35 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Maldives?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Maldives was 11.16 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 28.86 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.41 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022.
- How does Maldives rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Maldives ranks 146th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Maldives 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.