Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Tonga
Tonga: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 4.69 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.69 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 11.6%
World rank
190th
of 200 countries
All-time high
5.31 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2022
All-time low
4.07 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2016
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Tonga, 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
Tonga recorded 4.69 micrograms per cubic meter for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in 2023.
The figure is down 11.6% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Tonga peaked at 5.31 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4.07 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2016.
That places Tonga 190th out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Tonga, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.08 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 5.01 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 4.99 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 4.98 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 4.97 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 4.84 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 4.94 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 4.93 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 4.91 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 4.9 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 4.94 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 5.19 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 4.87 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 5.02 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 4.87 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 4.83 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 4.74 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 4.96 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 4.96 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 4.6 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.3% |
| 2010 | 4.57 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 4.19 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.5% |
| 2012 | 4.48 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 4.6 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 4.29 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 4.29 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4.07 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 5.04 micrograms per cubic meter | +23.8% |
| 2018 | 4.54 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.9% |
| 2019 | 4.68 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 4.33 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.6% |
| 2021 | 4.62 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 5.31 micrograms per cubic meter | +14.8% |
| 2023 | 4.69 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.6% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 4.69 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)
- Tonga's 4.69 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.77 micrograms per cubic meter, 48% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.84 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.08 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.9 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.6 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.19 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.48 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.07 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.04 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.74 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.33 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.31 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 187 Palau 4.94 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 188 Iceland 4.93 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 189 Nauru 4.84 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 191 Bermuda 4.63 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 192 Samoa 4.58 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 193 Finland 4.57 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Tonga
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.234 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.858 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.06 % 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 0.1689 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Tonga?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Tonga was 4.69 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 Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 5.31 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.07 micrograms per cubic meter in 2016.
- How does Tonga rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Tonga ranks 190th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tonga 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.