Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
22.68 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 5.6%
World rank
68th
of 200 countries
All-time high
34.1 micrograms per cubic meter
in 1990
All-time low
21.46 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2021
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Sri Lanka, 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
Sri Lanka recorded 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in 2023.
That represents a change of down 5.6% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Sri Lanka peaked at 34.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990 and was at its lowest, 21.46 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2021.
Sri Lanka ranks 68th 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 34.1 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 33.16 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 33.08 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 32.99 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 32.9 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 31.11 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 32.73 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 32.64 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 32.55 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 32.46 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 33.23 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 32.81 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 31.82 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 31.4 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 32.75 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 32.8 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 28.44 micrograms per cubic meter | -13.3% |
| 2007 | 26.34 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.4% |
| 2008 | 26.66 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 26.93 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 27.41 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 28.53 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 26.25 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.0% |
| 2013 | 26.16 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 25.01 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.3% |
| 2016 | 24.67 micrograms per cubic meter | +8.8% |
| 2017 | 24.32 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 28.69 micrograms per cubic meter | +18.0% |
| 2019 | 24 micrograms per cubic meter | -16.3% |
| 2020 | 22.42 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.6% |
| 2021 | 21.46 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.3% |
| 2022 | 24.03 micrograms per cubic meter | +12.0% |
| 2023 | 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.51 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for South Asia, which is 41.64 micrograms per cubic meter, 54% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.77 micrograms per cubic meter | 31.11 micrograms per cubic meter | 34.1 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.32 micrograms per cubic meter | 26.34 micrograms per cubic meter | 33.23 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.77 micrograms per cubic meter | 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter | 28.69 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.65 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.46 micrograms per cubic meter | 24.03 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 65 South Sudan 23.67 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 66 Thailand 23.49 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 67 Chile 23.1 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 69 Sierra Leone 22.46 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 70 Palestine 22.39 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 71 Philippines 22.21 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.63 % 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 1.22 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Sri Lanka was 22.68 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 34.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.46 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Sri Lanka ranks 68th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.