Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Canada
Canada: Exposure to air pollution from human sources was 6.71 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Canada, 1998–2024
Source: Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
Canada recorded 6.71 micrograms per cubic meter for exposure to air pollution from human sources in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.6% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to air pollution from human sources in Canada peaked at 9.4 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.78 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2020.
Canada ranks 169th of 240 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Canada, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9.02 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1999 | 8.41 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.8% |
| 2000 | 8.13 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 8.23 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 8.36 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 8.62 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 8 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 8.85 micrograms per cubic meter | +10.6% |
| 2006 | 7.9 micrograms per cubic meter | -10.7% |
| 2007 | 7.7 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 7.05 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.7% |
| 2010 | 6.39 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.4% |
| 2011 | 6.59 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 6.63 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 6.83 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 7.06 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 7.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 5.8 micrograms per cubic meter | -17.6% |
| 2017 | 6.57 micrograms per cubic meter | +13.3% |
| 2018 | 6.94 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 6.08 micrograms per cubic meter | -12.4% |
| 2020 | 5.78 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 6.95 micrograms per cubic meter | +20.2% |
| 2022 | 6.05 micrograms per cubic meter | -12.9% |
| 2023 | 9.4 micrograms per cubic meter | +55.4% |
| 2024 | 6.71 micrograms per cubic meter | -28.6% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 6.71 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.08 micrograms per cubic meter, 83% of the median. (83 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +55.4% | 6.05 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.4 micrograms per cubic meter |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.71 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.41 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.02 micrograms per cubic meter | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.04 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.05 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.85 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.59 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.8 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.06 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.98 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.78 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.4 micrograms per cubic meter | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More environment data for Canada
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.76 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.642 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.96 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.7 % 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 -0.3398 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to air pollution from human sources in Canada?
- Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Canada was 6.71 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024, according to Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to air pollution from human sources recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 9.4 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
- What is the lowest exposure to air pollution from human sources recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.78 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for exposure to air pollution from human sources?
- Canada ranks 169th out of 240 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to air pollution from human sources rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to air pollution from human sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual population-weighted average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air, measured in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, which can pose significant health risks. This data excludes natural sources of PM2.5, such as dust and sea salt, to focus on human-caused pollution.