Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Thailand
Thailand: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 23.49 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
23.49 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
66th
of 200 countries
All-time high
38.24 micrograms per cubic meter
in 1990
All-time low
22.88 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2017
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Thailand, 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 Thailand is 23.49 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Thailand peaked at 38.24 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990 and was at its lowest, 22.88 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2017.
Thailand ranks 66th 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 Thailand, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 38.24 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 37.39 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 36.96 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 36.53 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 36.1 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 34.84 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 35.24 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 34.81 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 34.38 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 33.95 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 33.93 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 32.98 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 34.06 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 32.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 35 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.5% |
| 2005 | 34.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 29.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.7% |
| 2007 | 26.51 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.7% |
| 2008 | 26.63 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 25.58 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 25.8 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 27.05 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 25.21 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.8% |
| 2013 | 27.24 micrograms per cubic meter | +8.1% |
| 2014 | 25.7 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 23.61 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.1% |
| 2016 | 25.87 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.6% |
| 2017 | 22.88 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.6% |
| 2018 | 24.51 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 23.96 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 25.18 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 23.81 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 23.72 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 23.49 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 23.49 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.51 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 23.49 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.77 micrograms per cubic meter, 2.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.85 micrograms per cubic meter | 33.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 38.24 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.03 micrograms per cubic meter | 25.58 micrograms per cubic meter | 35 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.18 micrograms per cubic meter | 22.88 micrograms per cubic meter | 27.24 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.05 micrograms per cubic meter | 23.49 micrograms per cubic meter | 25.18 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
- 63 Ethiopia 23.8 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 64 Azerbaijan 23.71 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 65 South Sudan 23.67 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 67 Chile 23.1 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 68 Sri Lanka 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 69 Sierra Leone 22.46 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Thailand
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.54 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.306 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.01 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.85 % 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 0.1009 % 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 Thailand?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Thailand was 23.49 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 Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 38.24 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.88 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017.
- How does Thailand rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Thailand ranks 66th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Thailand 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.