Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in United States
United States: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 6.97 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in United States, 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 United States is 6.97 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.2% on the previous year and down 17.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in United States peaked at 15.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 1991 and was at its lowest, 6.97 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2023.
United States ranks 176th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.47 micrograms per cubic meter | 14.81 micrograms per cubic meter | 15.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.34 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.37 micrograms per cubic meter | 14.49 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.24 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.27 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.43 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.59 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.97 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.23 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 173 Denmark 7.5 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 175 Vanuatu 6.99 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 177 New Zealand 6.88 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 178 United States Virgin Islands 6.79 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 179 Canada 6.55 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for United States
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 5,913 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 17.39 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 257.35 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 9.47 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 418.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 1.54 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 843.36 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 2 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 3.59 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 149.52 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in United States?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in United States was 6.97 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 15.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 1991.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.97 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
- How does United States rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- United States ranks 176th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.