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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Congo, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 26.9 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 22 µg/m³ | -18.2% |
| 2000 | 24.9 µg/m³ | +13.2% |
| 2001 | 29.8 µg/m³ | +19.7% |
| 2002 | 29.6 µg/m³ | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 26.5 µg/m³ | -10.5% |
| 2004 | 31.7 µg/m³ | +19.6% |
| 2005 | 30.1 µg/m³ | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 26.6 µg/m³ | -11.6% |
| 2007 | 29.4 µg/m³ | +10.5% |
| 2008 | 33.5 µg/m³ | +13.9% |
| 2009 | 32.8 µg/m³ | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 37.7 µg/m³ | +14.9% |
| 2011 | 36.1 µg/m³ | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 36.4 µg/m³ | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 40 µg/m³ | +9.9% |
| 2014 | 35 µg/m³ | -12.5% |
| 2015 | 38.5 µg/m³ | +10.0% |
| 2016 | 36.4 µg/m³ | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 34.1 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 36.2 µg/m³ | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 37.2 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 36.5 µg/m³ | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 35.5 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 36.7 µg/m³ | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 31.7 µg/m³ | -13.6% |
| 2024 | 40.3 µg/m³ | +27.1% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 40.3 µg/m³ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 40.3 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 | 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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -9.96 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.68 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.202 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.13 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8453 % 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 -0.4756 % 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 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.