Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Burundi
Burundi: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 40.4 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Burundi, 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
In 2024, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Burundi stood at 40.4 µg/m³.
That represents a change of up 34.2% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Burundi peaked at 44.1 µg/m³ in 2012 and was at its lowest, 21.7 µg/m³, in 1999.
Burundi ranks 18th of 241 countries on this measure, 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 Burundi, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 29 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 21.7 µg/m³ | -25.2% |
| 2000 | 36.8 µg/m³ | +69.6% |
| 2001 | 42.1 µg/m³ | +14.4% |
| 2002 | 36.1 µg/m³ | -14.3% |
| 2003 | 33.7 µg/m³ | -6.6% |
| 2004 | 39.3 µg/m³ | +16.6% |
| 2005 | 37.2 µg/m³ | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 30.8 µg/m³ | -17.2% |
| 2007 | 38.4 µg/m³ | +24.7% |
| 2008 | 37.1 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 33.2 µg/m³ | -10.5% |
| 2010 | 39 µg/m³ | +17.5% |
| 2011 | 40.1 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 44.1 µg/m³ | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 42.5 µg/m³ | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 40.7 µg/m³ | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 43.9 µg/m³ | +7.9% |
| 2016 | 40 µg/m³ | -8.9% |
| 2017 | 35 µg/m³ | -12.5% |
| 2018 | 35.1 µg/m³ | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 39.7 µg/m³ | +13.1% |
| 2020 | 37.9 µg/m³ | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 38.4 µg/m³ | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 38.7 µg/m³ | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 30.1 µg/m³ | -22.2% |
| 2024 | 40.4 µg/m³ | +34.2% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 40.4 µg/m³ is above the median for low income countries, which is 30.8 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 40.4 µg/m³ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.35 µg/m³ | 21.7 µg/m³ | 29 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.47 µg/m³ | 30.8 µg/m³ | 42.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.01 µg/m³ | 35 µg/m³ | 44.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.1 µg/m³ | 30.1 µg/m³ | 40.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
More environment data for Burundi
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.95 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate -27.74 % change on previous year (2013)
- Standard Deviation 0.284 °C (2013)
- Temperature change 1.27 °C (2013)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.86 % 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 4.57 % 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 Burundi?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Burundi was 40.4 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 Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 44.1 µg/m³ in 2012.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.7 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Burundi rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Burundi ranks 18th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burundi 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.