Outdoor air pollution exposure in Canada
Canada: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 7 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Canada, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in Canada is 7, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 27.8% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Canada peaked at 9.7 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.1, 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9.3 | — |
| 1999 | 8.7 | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 8.4 | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 8.5 | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 8.6 | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 8.9 | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 8.3 | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 9.1 | +9.6% |
| 2006 | 8.2 | -9.9% |
| 2007 | 8 | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 7.8 | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 7.3 | -6.4% |
| 2010 | 6.6 | -9.6% |
| 2011 | 6.9 | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 6.9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7.1 | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 7.3 | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 7.3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6.1 | -16.4% |
| 2017 | 6.9 | +13.1% |
| 2018 | 7.2 | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 6.3 | -12.5% |
| 2020 | 6.1 | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 7.3 | +19.7% |
| 2022 | 6.3 | -13.7% |
| 2023 | 9.7 | +54.0% |
| 2024 | 7 | -27.8% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 7 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 68% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Outdoor air pollution exposure 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 | 9.7 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 | 8.7 | 9.3 | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.31 | 7.3 | 9.1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.86 | 6.1 | 7.3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.28 | 6.1 | 9.7 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 190 Guernsey 7.4 compare
- 190 Ireland 7.4 compare
- 192 Puerto Rico 7.3 compare
- 193 New Zealand 7 compare
- 193 Solomon Islands 7 compare
- 196 Seychelles 6.9 compare
More environment data for Canada
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.6856 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.4351 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 2.08 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate -0.5976 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Canada?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Canada was 7 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 9.7 in 2023.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1 in 2016.
- How does Canada rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Canada ranks 193rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Outdoor air pollution exposure. 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).