Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Mongolia
Mongolia: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 42.69 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Mongolia, 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 Mongolia is 42.69 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Mongolia peaked at 48.75 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021 and was at its lowest, 25.15 micrograms per cubic meter, in 1995.
Mongolia ranks 19th of 200 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Mongolia, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 25.47 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 25.23 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 25.43 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 25.63 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 25.83 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 25.15 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 26.24 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 26.44 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 26.64 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 26.84 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 27.49 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 27.83 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 29.84 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.2% |
| 2003 | 30.85 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 26.26 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.9% |
| 2005 | 26.97 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 42.79 micrograms per cubic meter | +58.7% |
| 2007 | 47.65 micrograms per cubic meter | +11.4% |
| 2008 | 47.48 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 44.29 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.7% |
| 2010 | 43.7 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 46.17 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 43.51 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.8% |
| 2013 | 45.41 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 41.32 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.0% |
| 2015 | 44.9 micrograms per cubic meter | +8.7% |
| 2016 | 47.48 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 43.8 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 40.28 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.0% |
| 2019 | 44.15 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.6% |
| 2020 | 40.22 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 48.75 micrograms per cubic meter | +21.2% |
| 2022 | 40.92 micrograms per cubic meter | -16.1% |
| 2023 | 42.69 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.3% |
Mongolia compared with similar countries
- Mongolia's 42.69 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.51 micrograms per cubic meter, 2.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Mongolia's 42.69 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.77 micrograms per cubic meter, 4.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Mongolia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +58.7% | 26.97 micrograms per cubic meter | 42.79 micrograms per cubic meter |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.89 micrograms per cubic meter | 25.15 micrograms per cubic meter | 26.84 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.14 micrograms per cubic meter | 26.26 micrograms per cubic meter | 47.65 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.07 micrograms per cubic meter | 40.28 micrograms per cubic meter | 47.48 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.15 micrograms per cubic meter | 40.22 micrograms per cubic meter | 48.75 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mongolia
- 16 Mauritania 46.5 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 17 Egypt 43.15 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 18 Chad 42.96 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 20 Equatorial Guinea 42.22 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 21 Senegal 41.65 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 22 Djibouti 40.3 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Mongolia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.5 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.27 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.602 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.37 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 11.35 % 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 1.42 % 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 Mongolia?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Mongolia was 42.69 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 Mongolia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.75 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Mongolia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.15 micrograms per cubic meter in 1995.
- How does Mongolia rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Mongolia ranks 19th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Mongolia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mongolia 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.