Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cape Verde
Cape Verde: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 17 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cape Verde, 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 Cape Verde stood at 17 µg/m³.
That represents a change of up 14.1% on the previous year and up 39.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cape Verde peaked at 25.6 µg/m³ in 1998 and was at its lowest, 12.2 µg/m³, in 2009.
That places Cape Verde 102nd out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cape Verde, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 25.6 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 23.1 µg/m³ | -9.8% |
| 2000 | 23.1 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 19.8 µg/m³ | -14.3% |
| 2002 | 18.5 µg/m³ | -6.6% |
| 2003 | 19 µg/m³ | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 16.4 µg/m³ | -13.7% |
| 2005 | 16.7 µg/m³ | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 14.4 µg/m³ | -13.8% |
| 2007 | 17.7 µg/m³ | +22.9% |
| 2008 | 19 µg/m³ | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 12.2 µg/m³ | -35.8% |
| 2010 | 12.6 µg/m³ | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 17.6 µg/m³ | +39.7% |
| 2012 | 16.4 µg/m³ | -6.8% |
| 2013 | 13 µg/m³ | -20.7% |
| 2014 | 12.2 µg/m³ | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 18.5 µg/m³ | +51.6% |
| 2016 | 16.1 µg/m³ | -13.0% |
| 2017 | 17.6 µg/m³ | +9.3% |
| 2018 | 12.8 µg/m³ | -27.3% |
| 2019 | 13.4 µg/m³ | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 15 µg/m³ | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 14.3 µg/m³ | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 12.9 µg/m³ | -9.8% |
| 2023 | 14.9 µg/m³ | +15.5% |
| 2024 | 17 µg/m³ | +14.1% |
Cape Verde compared with similar countries
- Cape Verde's 17 µg/m³ is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 99% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Cape Verde's 17 µg/m³ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 67% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.35 µg/m³ | 23.1 µg/m³ | 25.6 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.68 µg/m³ | 12.2 µg/m³ | 23.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.02 µg/m³ | 12.2 µg/m³ | 18.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.82 µg/m³ | 12.9 µg/m³ | 17 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cape Verde
- 99 Liberia 17.2 µg/m³ compare
- 99 Montenegro 17.2 µg/m³ compare
- 101 Libya 17.1 µg/m³ compare
- 102 Kyrgyzstan 17 µg/m³ compare
- 102 Mozambique 17 µg/m³ compare
- 105 Albania 16.9 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Cape Verde
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.35 % 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 1.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cape Verde?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cape Verde was 17 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 Cape Verde?
- The highest recorded value was 25.6 µg/m³ in 1998.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Cape Verde?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.2 µg/m³ in 2009.
- How does Cape Verde rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Cape Verde ranks 102nd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Cape Verde?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cape Verde 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.