Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Congo
Congo: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 40.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in 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 Congo is 40.3 µg/m³, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 27.1% on the previous year and up 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Congo peaked at 40.3 µg/m³ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22 µg/m³, in 1999.
Congo ranks 19th of 241 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.45 µg/m³ | 22 µg/m³ | 26.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 29.49 µg/m³ | 24.9 µg/m³ | 33.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.76 µg/m³ | 34.1 µg/m³ | 40 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.14 µg/m³ | 31.7 µg/m³ | 40.3 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More environment data for Congo
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 24.62 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 3.89 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 0.4604 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.4601 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 13.3 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0013 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 14.96 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0052 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0073 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.7254 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Congo?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Congo was 40.3 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 40.3 µg/m³ in 2024.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 22 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Congo rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Congo ranks 19th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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.