Outdoor air pollution exposure in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 20.3 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Costa Rica, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, outdoor air pollution exposure in Costa Rica stood at 20.3. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Costa Rica peaked at 20.3 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.4, in 1999.
That places Costa Rica 83rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 17 | — |
| 1999 | 13.4 | -21.2% |
| 2000 | 15.7 | +17.2% |
| 2001 | 16.9 | +7.6% |
| 2002 | 15.5 | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 17 | +9.7% |
| 2004 | 15.6 | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 17.2 | +10.3% |
| 2006 | 16.8 | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 17.8 | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 17.2 | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 17.4 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 18.3 | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 18.2 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 18.4 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 18.9 | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 18.7 | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 19 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 18.7 | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 18.8 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 17.7 | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 18.2 | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 18.7 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 18.4 | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 18.6 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 18.9 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 20.3 | +7.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 20.3 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 2.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 20.3 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.75, 1.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.2 | 13.4 | 17 | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.71 | 15.5 | 17.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.49 | 17.7 | 19 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.98 | 18.4 | 20.3 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More environment data for Costa Rica
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0008 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.2419 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.71 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.257 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.61 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 24.65 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (1998)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Costa Rica?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Costa Rica was 20.3 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 20.3 in 2024.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4 in 1999.
- How does Costa Rica rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Costa Rica ranks 83rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica 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).