Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cameroon
Cameroon: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 51.5 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cameroon, 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
Cameroon recorded 51.5 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cameroon peaked at 55.2 µg/m³ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 46.7 µg/m³, in 1999.
Cameroon ranks 6th 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 Cameroon, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 52 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 46.7 µg/m³ | -10.2% |
| 2000 | 50.7 µg/m³ | +8.6% |
| 2001 | 50.7 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 49.3 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 48.1 µg/m³ | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 50.7 µg/m³ | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 49.9 µg/m³ | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 47.1 µg/m³ | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 48.8 µg/m³ | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 52.7 µg/m³ | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 51.2 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 50.7 µg/m³ | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 49.3 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 52.6 µg/m³ | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 52.5 µg/m³ | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 50.3 µg/m³ | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 54.5 µg/m³ | +8.3% |
| 2016 | 53.9 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 55.2 µg/m³ | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 51.5 µg/m³ | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 51.6 µg/m³ | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 50 µg/m³ | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 49.7 µg/m³ | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 53.1 µg/m³ | +6.8% |
| 2023 | 50.9 µg/m³ | -4.1% |
| 2024 | 51.5 µg/m³ | +1.2% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 51.5 µg/m³ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 2.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 51.5 µg/m³ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.35 µg/m³ | 46.7 µg/m³ | 52 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 49.92 µg/m³ | 47.1 µg/m³ | 52.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.21 µg/m³ | 49.3 µg/m³ | 55.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.04 µg/m³ | 49.7 µg/m³ | 53.1 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More environment data for Cameroon
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.68 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.211 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.15 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6539 % 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 0.4385 % 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 Cameroon?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Cameroon was 51.5 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 55.2 µg/m³ in 2017.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.7 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Cameroon rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Cameroon ranks 6th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon 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.