Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Samoa
Samoa: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 4.58 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Samoa, 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 Samoa is 4.58 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 14.0% on the previous year and down 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Samoa peaked at 5.33 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 and was at its lowest, 3.68 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2021.
Samoa ranks 192nd of 200 countries on this measure, in the bottom 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 Samoa, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.16 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 5.01 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 5 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 4.98 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 4.96 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 4.69 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.3% |
| 1996 | 4.92 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 4.9 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 4.88 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 4.86 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 4.97 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 5.28 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 4.9 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.2% |
| 2003 | 5.07 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 4.77 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 4.96 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 5.26 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 5.19 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 4.96 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 4.7 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 4.59 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 4.02 micrograms per cubic meter | -12.5% |
| 2012 | 4.56 micrograms per cubic meter | +13.5% |
| 2013 | 4.58 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 4.66 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 5.23 micrograms per cubic meter | +12.2% |
| 2016 | 4.63 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.4% |
| 2017 | 4.88 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 4.6 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.8% |
| 2019 | 4.46 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 4.49 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 3.68 micrograms per cubic meter | -18.0% |
| 2022 | 5.33 micrograms per cubic meter | +44.7% |
| 2023 | 4.58 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.0% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 4.58 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.51 micrograms per cubic meter, 25% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 4.58 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.77 micrograms per cubic meter, 47% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Samoa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +44.7% | 3.68 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.33 micrograms per cubic meter |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.94 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.69 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.16 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 5 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.7 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.28 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.62 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.02 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.23 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.52 micrograms per cubic meter | 3.68 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.33 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
- 189 Nauru 4.84 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 190 Tonga 4.69 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 191 Bermuda 4.63 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 193 Finland 4.57 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 194 American Samoa 4.33 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 195 Marshall Islands 4.1 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Samoa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.3482 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.3183 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.23 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.919 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.68 % 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 -2.51 % 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 Samoa?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Samoa was 4.58 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 Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.33 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.68 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021.
- How does Samoa rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Samoa ranks 192nd out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Samoa 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.