Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Moldova

Moldova: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 14.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
14.95 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
120th
of 200 countries
All-time high
33.53 micrograms per cubic meter
in 1990
All-time low
14.34 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2019
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Moldova, 1990–2023

01020301990200620231990: 33.5 micrograms per cubic meter1991: 33.5 micrograms per cubic meter1992: 32.9 micrograms per cubic meter1993: 32.4 micrograms per cubic meter1994: 31.8 micrograms per cubic meter1995: 32.2 micrograms per cubic meter1996: 30.8 micrograms per cubic meter1997: 30.2 micrograms per cubic meter1998: 29.7 micrograms per cubic meter1999: 29.1 micrograms per cubic meter2000: 28.1 micrograms per cubic meter2001: 28.3 micrograms per cubic meter2002: 30.9 micrograms per cubic meter2003: 25 micrograms per cubic meter2004: 23.2 micrograms per cubic meter2005: 22.4 micrograms per cubic meter2006: 21.1 micrograms per cubic meter2007: 19.9 micrograms per cubic meter2008: 18.6 micrograms per cubic meter2009: 18 micrograms per cubic meter2010: 17.3 micrograms per cubic meter2011: 18.2 micrograms per cubic meter2012: 20.1 micrograms per cubic meter2013: 17.6 micrograms per cubic meter2014: 18.3 micrograms per cubic meter2015: 16.2 micrograms per cubic meter2016: 16.9 micrograms per cubic meter2017: 18.2 micrograms per cubic meter2018: 17.2 micrograms per cubic meter2019: 14.3 micrograms per cubic meter2020: 15.6 micrograms per cubic meter2021: 15.6 micrograms per cubic meter2022: 14.6 micrograms per cubic meter2023: 14.9 micrograms per cubic meter

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

Moldova recorded 14.95 micrograms per cubic meter for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Moldova peaked at 33.53 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990 and was at its lowest, 14.34 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2019.

Moldova ranks 120th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 31.62 micrograms per cubic meter 29.14 micrograms per cubic meter 33.53 micrograms per cubic meter 10
2000s 23.55 micrograms per cubic meter 18.04 micrograms per cubic meter 30.9 micrograms per cubic meter 10
2010s 17.42 micrograms per cubic meter 14.34 micrograms per cubic meter 20.13 micrograms per cubic meter 10
2020s 15.17 micrograms per cubic meter 14.55 micrograms per cubic meter 15.61 micrograms per cubic meter 4

Countries ranked near Moldova

  1. 117 Panama 15.12 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  2. 118 Sao Tome and Principe 15.12 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  3. 119 Zimbabwe 15.03 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  4. 121 Ukraine 14.85 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  5. 122 Argentina 14.35 micrograms per cubic meter compare
  6. 123 Italy 14.29 micrograms per cubic meter compare

See the full ranking of 200 places →

More environment data for Moldova

All data for Moldova →

Frequently asked questions

What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Moldova?
Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Moldova was 14.95 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 Moldova?
The highest recorded value was 33.53 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990.
What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Moldova?
The lowest recorded value was 14.34 micrograms per cubic meter in 2019.
How does Moldova rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
Moldova ranks 120th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Moldova?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Moldova 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

Indicator
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution
Unit
micrograms per cubic meter
Source
Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
200 places, 6,800 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

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.