Outdoor air pollution exposure in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 41.2 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
41.2
Change on year
up 29.2%
World rank
15th
of 241 countries
All-time high
43.4
in 2013
All-time low
25.3
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in Democratic Republic of Congo is 41.2, 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, outdoor air pollution exposure in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 43.4 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 25.3, 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 32.3 | — |
| 1999 | 25.3 | -21.7% |
| 2000 | 32.7 | +29.2% |
| 2001 | 37.6 | +15.0% |
| 2002 | 35.8 | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 34.3 | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 37.5 | +9.3% |
| 2005 | 37.1 | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 31.2 | -15.9% |
| 2007 | 34.6 | +10.9% |
| 2008 | 36.1 | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 35.1 | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 40.6 | +15.7% |
| 2011 | 39.3 | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 42.5 | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 43.4 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 37.9 | -12.7% |
| 2015 | 42.6 | +12.4% |
| 2016 | 37.8 | -11.3% |
| 2017 | 34.9 | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 35 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 37.5 | +7.1% |
| 2020 | 35.4 | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 36.4 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 39.1 | +7.4% |
| 2023 | 31.9 | -18.4% |
| 2024 | 41.2 | +29.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 41.2 is above the median for low income countries, which is 30.8, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 41.2 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.8 | 25.3 | 32.3 | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.2 | 31.2 | 37.6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.15 | 34.9 | 43.4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.8 | 31.9 | 41.2 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0005 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.1613 hectares per person (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 8.03 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Democratic Republic of Congo was 41.2 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 43.4 in 2013.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3 in 1999.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 15th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure 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 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).