Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Colombia
Colombia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 15.1 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Colombia, 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
Colombia recorded 15.1 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
The figure is up 7.9% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Colombia peaked at 17.5 µg/m³ in 2016 and was at its lowest, 10.3 µg/m³, in 1999.
Colombia ranks 118th 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 Colombia, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 12.1 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 10.3 µg/m³ | -14.9% |
| 2000 | 13.8 µg/m³ | +34.0% |
| 2001 | 14.9 µg/m³ | +8.0% |
| 2002 | 13.8 µg/m³ | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 15.4 µg/m³ | +11.6% |
| 2004 | 13.6 µg/m³ | -11.7% |
| 2005 | 13.7 µg/m³ | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 13.2 µg/m³ | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 14.4 µg/m³ | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 13.7 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 15.2 µg/m³ | +10.9% |
| 2010 | 16.2 µg/m³ | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 13.5 µg/m³ | -16.7% |
| 2012 | 15.2 µg/m³ | +12.6% |
| 2013 | 15.5 µg/m³ | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 16.4 µg/m³ | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 15.7 µg/m³ | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 17.5 µg/m³ | +11.5% |
| 2017 | 16 µg/m³ | -8.6% |
| 2018 | 15.3 µg/m³ | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 16.2 µg/m³ | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 15.4 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 13.8 µg/m³ | -10.4% |
| 2022 | 14.5 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 14 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 15.1 µg/m³ | +7.9% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 15.1 µg/m³ is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 88% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 15.1 µg/m³ is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.75 µg/m³, 1.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.2 µg/m³ | 10.3 µg/m³ | 12.1 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.17 µg/m³ | 13.2 µg/m³ | 15.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.75 µg/m³ | 13.5 µg/m³ | 17.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.56 µg/m³ | 13.8 µg/m³ | 15.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More environment data for Colombia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.4233 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.2774 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.267 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.59 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9788 % 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 0.2077 % 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 Colombia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Colombia was 15.1 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 Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.5 µg/m³ in 2016.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Colombia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Colombia ranks 118th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Colombia 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.