Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Brazil

Brazil: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 15.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
15.3 µg/m³
Change on year
up 10.1%
World rank
115th
of 241 countries
All-time high
15.3 µg/m³
in 2024
All-time low
9.7 µg/m³
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Brazil, 1998–2024

0510151998201120241998: 10.5 µg/m³1999: 9.7 µg/m³2000: 11.6 µg/m³2001: 12.2 µg/m³2002: 13 µg/m³2003: 12.9 µg/m³2004: 13.1 µg/m³2005: 13.2 µg/m³2006: 12.7 µg/m³2007: 13.9 µg/m³2008: 13.2 µg/m³2009: 13.4 µg/m³2010: 13.5 µg/m³2011: 12.9 µg/m³2012: 12.9 µg/m³2013: 12.6 µg/m³2014: 12.4 µg/m³2015: 13.4 µg/m³2016: 13.1 µg/m³2017: 13.4 µg/m³2018: 12.8 µg/m³2019: 13.5 µg/m³2020: 13.3 µg/m³2021: 13.3 µg/m³2022: 14.1 µg/m³2023: 13.9 µg/m³2024: 15.3 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 Brazil is 15.3 µg/m³, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

The figure is up 10.1% on the previous year and up 23.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Brazil peaked at 15.3 µg/m³ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.7 µg/m³, in 1999.

Brazil ranks 115th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 10.1 µg/m³ 9.7 µg/m³ 10.5 µg/m³ 2
2000s 12.92 µg/m³ 11.6 µg/m³ 13.9 µg/m³ 10
2010s 13.05 µg/m³ 12.4 µg/m³ 13.5 µg/m³ 10
2020s 13.98 µg/m³ 13.3 µg/m³ 15.3 µg/m³ 5

Countries ranked near Brazil

  1. 112 Poland 15.6 µg/m³ compare
  2. 112 Sao Tome and Principe 15.6 µg/m³ compare
  3. 114 Namibia 15.5 µg/m³ compare
  4. 115 Malaysia 15.3 µg/m³ compare
  5. 117 Italy 15.2 µg/m³ compare
  6. 118 Colombia 15.1 µg/m³ compare
  7. 118 Greece 15.1 µg/m³ compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for Brazil

All data for Brazil →

Frequently asked questions

What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Brazil?
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Brazil was 15.3 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 Brazil?
The highest recorded value was 15.3 µg/m³ in 2024.
What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Brazil?
The lowest recorded value was 9.7 µg/m³ in 1999.
How does Brazil rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
Brazil ranks 115th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Brazil?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Brazil 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.