Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 41.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo is 41.2 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 29.2% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 43.4 µg/m³ in 2013 and was at its lowest, 25.3 µg/m³, in 1999.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 15th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 32.3 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 25.3 µg/m³ | -21.7% |
| 2000 | 32.7 µg/m³ | +29.2% |
| 2001 | 37.6 µg/m³ | +15.0% |
| 2002 | 35.8 µg/m³ | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 34.3 µg/m³ | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 37.5 µg/m³ | +9.3% |
| 2005 | 37.1 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 31.2 µg/m³ | -15.9% |
| 2007 | 34.6 µg/m³ | +10.9% |
| 2008 | 36.1 µg/m³ | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 35.1 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 40.6 µg/m³ | +15.7% |
| 2011 | 39.3 µg/m³ | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 42.5 µg/m³ | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 43.4 µg/m³ | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 37.9 µg/m³ | -12.7% |
| 2015 | 42.6 µg/m³ | +12.4% |
| 2016 | 37.8 µg/m³ | -11.3% |
| 2017 | 34.9 µg/m³ | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 35 µg/m³ | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 37.5 µg/m³ | +7.1% |
| 2020 | 35.4 µg/m³ | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 36.4 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 39.1 µg/m³ | +7.4% |
| 2023 | 31.9 µg/m³ | -18.4% |
| 2024 | 41.2 µg/m³ | +29.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 41.2 µg/m³ is above the median for low income countries, which is 30.8 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 41.2 µg/m³ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.8 µg/m³ | 25.3 µg/m³ | 32.3 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.2 µg/m³ | 31.2 µg/m³ | 37.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.15 µg/m³ | 34.9 µg/m³ | 43.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.8 µg/m³ | 31.9 µg/m³ | 41.2 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.26 % 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 5.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0.338 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Democratic Republic of Congo was 41.2 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 43.4 µg/m³ in 2013.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 15th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.