Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 6.35 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▬ Flat
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Papua New Guinea, 2010–2023
Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
In 2023, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Papua New Guinea stood at 6.35 micrograms per cubic meter. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.7% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Papua New Guinea peaked at 8.17 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6.35 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2023.
That places Papua New Guinea 203rd out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 7.38 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 6.94 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 7.06 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 7.07 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 7.07 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8.17 micrograms per cubic meter | +15.6% |
| 2016 | 6.99 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.4% |
| 2017 | 7.35 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 6.94 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 7.36 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 6.83 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.2% |
| 2021 | 7.34 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.5% |
| 2022 | 7.62 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 6.35 micrograms per cubic meter | -16.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.23 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.94 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.17 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.04 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.35 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.62 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 200 Vanuatu 6.59 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 201 Portugal 6.51 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 202 American Samoa 6.36 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 204 Iceland 6.31 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 205 Solomon Islands 6.3 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 206 Australia 6.27 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 206 Fiji 6.27 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Papua New Guinea
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.56 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.183 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.834 °C (2025)
- Sawnwood — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood — Production, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Sawnwood — Production, per capita 0.0321 m3 per person (2024)
- Sawnwood — Import quantity, annual growth rate 10.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Papua New Guinea?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Papua New Guinea was 6.35 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, according to World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 8.17 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.35 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 203rd out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (population-weighted), by location (micrograms per cubic meter).