Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Canada
Canada: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Canada, 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
The most recent figure for exposure to outdoor air pollution in Canada is 7 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 27.8% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Canada peaked at 9.7 µg/m³ in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.1 µg/m³, in 2016.
That places Canada 193rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Canada, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9.3 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 8.7 µg/m³ | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 8.4 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 8.5 µg/m³ | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 8.6 µg/m³ | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 8.9 µg/m³ | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 8.3 µg/m³ | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 9.1 µg/m³ | +9.6% |
| 2006 | 8.2 µg/m³ | -9.9% |
| 2007 | 8 µg/m³ | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 7.8 µg/m³ | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 7.3 µg/m³ | -6.4% |
| 2010 | 6.6 µg/m³ | -9.6% |
| 2011 | 6.9 µg/m³ | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 6.9 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7.1 µg/m³ | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 7.3 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 7.3 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6.1 µg/m³ | -16.4% |
| 2017 | 6.9 µg/m³ | +13.1% |
| 2018 | 7.2 µg/m³ | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 6.3 µg/m³ | -12.5% |
| 2020 | 6.1 µg/m³ | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 7.3 µg/m³ | +19.7% |
| 2022 | 6.3 µg/m³ | -13.7% |
| 2023 | 9.7 µg/m³ | +54.0% |
| 2024 | 7 µg/m³ | -27.8% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 7 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 68% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +54.0% | 6.3 µg/m³ | 9.7 µg/m³ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 µg/m³ | 8.7 µg/m³ | 9.3 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.31 µg/m³ | 7.3 µg/m³ | 9.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.86 µg/m³ | 6.1 µg/m³ | 7.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.28 µg/m³ | 6.1 µg/m³ | 9.7 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 190 Guernsey 7.4 µg/m³ compare
- 190 Ireland 7.4 µg/m³ compare
- 192 Puerto Rico 7.3 µg/m³ compare
- 193 New Zealand 7 µg/m³ compare
- 193 Solomon Islands 7 µg/m³ compare
- 196 Seychelles 6.9 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Canada
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.76 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.642 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.96 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.7 % 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 -0.3398 % 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 Canada?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Canada was 7 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 9.7 µg/m³ in 2023.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1 µg/m³ in 2016.
- How does Canada rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Canada ranks 193rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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.