Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Peru
Peru: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 31.09 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Peru, 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 Peru is 31.09 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 4.3% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Peru peaked at 69.29 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990 and was at its lowest, 27.11 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2014.
That places Peru 47th out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Peru, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 69.29 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 68.78 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 67.83 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 66.88 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 65.94 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 65.86 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 64.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 63.09 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 62.15 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 61.2 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 59.81 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 63.74 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.6% |
| 2002 | 60.99 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 59.61 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 58.26 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 58.09 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 38.38 micrograms per cubic meter | -33.9% |
| 2007 | 28.06 micrograms per cubic meter | -26.9% |
| 2008 | 27.65 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 28.79 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 31.37 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.0% |
| 2011 | 29.71 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 28.71 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 29.75 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 27.11 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 29.27 micrograms per cubic meter | +8.0% |
| 2016 | 30.56 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 31.26 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 31.12 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 30.67 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 29.86 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 28.95 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 32.48 micrograms per cubic meter | +12.2% |
| 2023 | 31.09 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.3% |
Peru compared with similar countries
- Peru's 31.09 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.51 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Peru's 31.09 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 15.33 micrograms per cubic meter, 2.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Peru 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 | -33.9% | 58.09 micrograms per cubic meter | 38.38 micrograms per cubic meter |
| 2007 | -26.9% | 38.38 micrograms per cubic meter | 28.06 micrograms per cubic meter |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.51 micrograms per cubic meter | 61.2 micrograms per cubic meter | 69.29 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.34 micrograms per cubic meter | 27.65 micrograms per cubic meter | 63.74 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 27.11 micrograms per cubic meter | 31.37 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.59 micrograms per cubic meter | 28.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 32.48 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Peru
- 44 Gabon 31.32 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 45 Turkmenistan 31.25 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 46 Uganda 31.21 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 48 Honduras 30.72 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 49 Bhutan 30.07 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 50 Guatemala 29.68 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Peru
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.4511 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 3.13 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.295 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.18 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.59 % 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 0.1844 % 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 Peru?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Peru was 31.09 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 Peru?
- The highest recorded value was 69.29 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Peru?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.11 micrograms per cubic meter in 2014.
- How does Peru rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Peru ranks 47th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Peru?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Peru 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.