Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cambodia
Cambodia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 19 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cambodia, 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
Cambodia recorded 19 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
That represents a change of down 4.0% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cambodia peaked at 20 µg/m³ in 2004 and was at its lowest, 14.5 µg/m³, in 1998.
Cambodia ranks 92nd 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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 14.5 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 14.5 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 15.9 µg/m³ | +9.7% |
| 2001 | 14.9 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2002 | 16.9 µg/m³ | +13.4% |
| 2003 | 17.8 µg/m³ | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 20 µg/m³ | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 19.8 µg/m³ | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 17.7 µg/m³ | -10.6% |
| 2007 | 18.3 µg/m³ | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 18.1 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 16.3 µg/m³ | -9.9% |
| 2010 | 17.5 µg/m³ | +7.4% |
| 2011 | 18.4 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 15.8 µg/m³ | -14.1% |
| 2013 | 18.6 µg/m³ | +17.7% |
| 2014 | 17.7 µg/m³ | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 16.1 µg/m³ | -9.0% |
| 2016 | 16.4 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 14.8 µg/m³ | -9.8% |
| 2018 | 19.5 µg/m³ | +31.8% |
| 2019 | 18.3 µg/m³ | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 19.7 µg/m³ | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 18.7 µg/m³ | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 18 µg/m³ | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 19.8 µg/m³ | +10.0% |
| 2024 | 19 µg/m³ | -4.0% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 19 µg/m³ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 77% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 19 µg/m³ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.9 µg/m³, 2.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.5 µg/m³ | 14.5 µg/m³ | 14.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.57 µg/m³ | 14.9 µg/m³ | 20 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.31 µg/m³ | 14.8 µg/m³ | 19.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.04 µg/m³ | 18 µg/m³ | 19.8 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
More environment data for Cambodia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.5487 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.06 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.288 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.929 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.74 % 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 0.8631 % 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 Cambodia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cambodia was 19 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 Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 20 µg/m³ in 2004.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Cambodia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Cambodia ranks 92nd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cambodia 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.