Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 21.44 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 21.44 micrograms per cubic meter.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and down 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sri Lanka peaked at 26.49 micrograms per cubic meter in 2010 and was at its lowest, 18.78 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2020.
Sri Lanka ranks 75th of 226 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 26.49 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 25.32 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 26.3 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 25.31 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 23.07 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 23.59 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 24.28 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 25.11 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 24.52 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 22.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 18.78 micrograms per cubic meter | -16.8% |
| 2021 | 19.74 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.1% |
| 2022 | 21.02 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.5% |
| 2023 | 21.44 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 24.66 micrograms per cubic meter | 22.56 micrograms per cubic meter | 26.49 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.25 micrograms per cubic meter | 18.78 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.44 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 72 Tunisia 22.33 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 73 Ethiopia 22.28 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 74 Chile 21.57 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 76 Kyrgyzstan 21.35 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 77 Brazil 21.31 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 78 Türkiye 21.11 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 15.47 % 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 0.0191 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 2.74 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Sri Lanka was 21.44 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 26.49 micrograms per cubic meter in 2010.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.78 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- Sri Lanka ranks 75th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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).