Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 65 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bangladesh, 1998–2024
Source: SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in µg/m³.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 65 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
That represents a change of down 6.2% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bangladesh peaked at 80 µg/m³ in 2018 and was at its lowest, 43 µg/m³, in 1998.
That places Bangladesh 2nd out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 43 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 44.7 µg/m³ | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 50.5 µg/m³ | +13.0% |
| 2001 | 52 µg/m³ | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 51.5 µg/m³ | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 53.7 µg/m³ | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 53.2 µg/m³ | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 56.7 µg/m³ | +6.6% |
| 2006 | 62.2 µg/m³ | +9.7% |
| 2007 | 60 µg/m³ | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 62.7 µg/m³ | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 68.9 µg/m³ | +9.9% |
| 2010 | 66.3 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 67.7 µg/m³ | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 71.9 µg/m³ | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 65.2 µg/m³ | -9.3% |
| 2014 | 69.2 µg/m³ | +6.1% |
| 2015 | 68.1 µg/m³ | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 65.2 µg/m³ | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 65.2 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 80 µg/m³ | +22.7% |
| 2019 | 68.5 µg/m³ | -14.4% |
| 2020 | 71.8 µg/m³ | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 73.4 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 63.5 µg/m³ | -13.5% |
| 2023 | 69.3 µg/m³ | +9.1% |
| 2024 | 65 µg/m³ | -6.2% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 65 µg/m³ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 2.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 65 µg/m³ is above the median for South Asia, which is 32.7 µg/m³, 2.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 43.85 µg/m³ | 43 µg/m³ | 44.7 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 57.14 µg/m³ | 50.5 µg/m³ | 68.9 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.73 µg/m³ | 65.2 µg/m³ | 80 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.6 µg/m³ | 63.5 µg/m³ | 73.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More environment data for Bangladesh
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.59 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.3 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.236 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.67 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.31 % 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 -2.43 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bangladesh?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bangladesh was 65 µg/m³ in 2024, according to SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 80 µg/m³ in 2018.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 43 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Bangladesh rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Bangladesh ranks 2nd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to outdoor air pollution. 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.