Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Chile
Chile: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 23.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Chile, 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 Chile stood at 23.2 µg/m³.
The figure is down 4.9% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Chile peaked at 25.4 µg/m³ in 2015 and was at its lowest, 19 µg/m³, in 1998.
That places Chile 69th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Chile, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 19 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 20.4 µg/m³ | +7.4% |
| 2000 | 21.7 µg/m³ | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 21.2 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 20.9 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 21.2 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 21.5 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 21 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 21.2 µg/m³ | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 21.8 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 22.6 µg/m³ | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 21.4 µg/m³ | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 21.4 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 23.4 µg/m³ | +9.3% |
| 2012 | 22 µg/m³ | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 21.9 µg/m³ | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 22.4 µg/m³ | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 25.4 µg/m³ | +13.4% |
| 2016 | 23.9 µg/m³ | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 22.3 µg/m³ | -6.7% |
| 2018 | 21.4 µg/m³ | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 20.3 µg/m³ | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 19.5 µg/m³ | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 22.8 µg/m³ | +16.9% |
| 2022 | 23.6 µg/m³ | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 24.4 µg/m³ | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 23.2 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
Chile compared with similar countries
- Chile's 23.2 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 2.3× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Chile's 23.2 µg/m³ is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.75 µg/m³, 1.7× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.7 µg/m³ | 19 µg/m³ | 20.4 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 21.45 µg/m³ | 20.9 µg/m³ | 22.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.44 µg/m³ | 20.3 µg/m³ | 25.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.7 µg/m³ | 19.5 µg/m³ | 24.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Chile
More environment data for Chile
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.3357 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.266 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.82 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.1 % 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 0.202 % 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 Chile?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Chile was 23.2 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 Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 25.4 µg/m³ in 2015.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 19 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Chile rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Chile ranks 69th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Chile 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.