Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 36.9 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sierra Leone, 2010–2023
Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 36.9 micrograms per cubic meter for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sierra Leone peaked at 38.28 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015 and was at its lowest, 31.26 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2010.
Sierra Leone ranks 23rd of 226 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 31.26 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 33.65 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.6% |
| 2012 | 36.93 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.7% |
| 2013 | 32.97 micrograms per cubic meter | -10.7% |
| 2014 | 35.36 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 38.28 micrograms per cubic meter | +8.3% |
| 2016 | 36.09 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 36.3 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 35.93 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 35.48 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 35.99 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 34.65 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 35.47 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 36.9 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 35.23 micrograms per cubic meter | 31.26 micrograms per cubic meter | 38.28 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.75 micrograms per cubic meter | 34.65 micrograms per cubic meter | 36.9 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 20 Iraq 40.4 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 21 Burkina Faso 38.45 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 22 Guinea-Bissau 37.52 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 24 Mali 36.81 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 25 Guinea 35.68 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 26 Yemen 34.37 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Sierra Leone
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.39 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.232 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.28 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate -31.66 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0003 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -31.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sierra Leone?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sierra Leone was 36.9 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 38.28 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.26 micrograms per cubic meter in 2010.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- Sierra Leone ranks 23rd out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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).