Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bhutan

Bhutan: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 24.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
24.7 µg/m³
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
61st
of 241 countries
All-time high
34.5 µg/m³
in 2009
All-time low
16.6 µg/m³
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bhutan, 1998–2024

01020301998201120241998: 16.6 µg/m³1999: 17 µg/m³2000: 23.1 µg/m³2001: 26.3 µg/m³2002: 26.2 µg/m³2003: 26 µg/m³2004: 26 µg/m³2005: 27.3 µg/m³2006: 29.1 µg/m³2007: 27.6 µg/m³2008: 29.4 µg/m³2009: 34.5 µg/m³2010: 27.6 µg/m³2011: 29.6 µg/m³2012: 31.4 µg/m³2013: 26.5 µg/m³2014: 30.6 µg/m³2015: 30.9 µg/m³2016: 29.2 µg/m³2017: 29.5 µg/m³2018: 32 µg/m³2019: 30 µg/m³2020: 29.5 µg/m³2021: 30.8 µg/m³2022: 23.7 µg/m³2023: 24.6 µg/m³2024: 24.7 µg/m³

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

The most recent figure for exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bhutan is 24.7 µg/m³, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 19.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bhutan peaked at 34.5 µg/m³ in 2009 and was at its lowest, 16.6 µg/m³, in 1998.

That places Bhutan 61st out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 16.8 µg/m³ 16.6 µg/m³ 17 µg/m³ 2
2000s 27.55 µg/m³ 23.1 µg/m³ 34.5 µg/m³ 10
2010s 29.73 µg/m³ 26.5 µg/m³ 32 µg/m³ 10
2020s 26.66 µg/m³ 23.7 µg/m³ 30.8 µg/m³ 5

Countries ranked near Bhutan

  1. 58 Zambia 25.4 µg/m³ compare
  2. 59 Bosnia and Herzegovina 25.2 µg/m³ compare
  3. 60 Eritrea 25 µg/m³ compare
  4. 62 Tanzania 24.6 µg/m³ compare
  5. 63 Lesotho 24.5 µg/m³ compare
  6. 64 South Africa 24.4 µg/m³ compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for Bhutan

All data for Bhutan →

Frequently asked questions

What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bhutan?
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bhutan was 24.7 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 Bhutan?
The highest recorded value was 34.5 µg/m³ in 2009.
What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Bhutan?
The lowest recorded value was 16.6 µg/m³ in 1998.
How does Bhutan rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
Bhutan ranks 61st out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Bhutan?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Bhutan 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

Indicator
Exposure to outdoor air pollution
Unit
µg/m³
Source
SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
241 places, 6,507 data points, 1998–2024
Last refreshed

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.