Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Barbados
Barbados: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 11.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▬ Flat
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Barbados, 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
Barbados recorded 11.2 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
That represents a change of up 8.7% on the previous year and up 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Barbados peaked at 12.4 µg/m³ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 9.6 µg/m³, in 2014.
That places Barbados 153rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Barbados, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 10.3 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 10.9 µg/m³ | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 10.8 µg/m³ | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 10.9 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 10.9 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10.9 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9.8 µg/m³ | -10.1% |
| 2005 | 10.5 µg/m³ | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 10.3 µg/m³ | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 11.7 µg/m³ | +13.6% |
| 2008 | 9.7 µg/m³ | -17.1% |
| 2009 | 11.7 µg/m³ | +20.6% |
| 2010 | 11.4 µg/m³ | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 10.3 µg/m³ | -9.6% |
| 2012 | 11.4 µg/m³ | +10.7% |
| 2013 | 9.7 µg/m³ | -14.9% |
| 2014 | 9.6 µg/m³ | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 11.8 µg/m³ | +22.9% |
| 2016 | 10.6 µg/m³ | -10.2% |
| 2017 | 12.4 µg/m³ | +17.0% |
| 2018 | 10.7 µg/m³ | -13.7% |
| 2019 | 10 µg/m³ | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 11.2 µg/m³ | +12.0% |
| 2021 | 11.4 µg/m³ | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 10.4 µg/m³ | -8.8% |
| 2023 | 10.3 µg/m³ | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 11.2 µg/m³ | +8.7% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 11.2 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 11.2 µg/m³ is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.75 µg/m³, 81% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.6 µg/m³ | 10.3 µg/m³ | 10.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.72 µg/m³ | 9.7 µg/m³ | 11.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.79 µg/m³ | 9.6 µg/m³ | 12.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.9 µg/m³ | 10.3 µg/m³ | 11.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More environment data for Barbados
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -8.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 111.15 % change on previous year (2023)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2023)
- Temperature change 1.03 °C (2023)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.61 % 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 -0.3571 % 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 outdoor air pollution in Barbados?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Barbados was 11.2 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 Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4 µg/m³ in 2017.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6 µg/m³ in 2014.
- How does Barbados rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Barbados ranks 153rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Barbados 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.