Exposure to outdoor air pollution in El Salvador

El Salvador: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 30.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
30.7 µg/m³
Change on year
up 10.4%
World rank
45th
of 241 countries
All-time high
31.9 µg/m³
in 1998
All-time low
22.9 µg/m³
in 2004
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in El Salvador, 1998–2024

01020301998201120241998: 31.9 µg/m³1999: 23.1 µg/m³2000: 26.8 µg/m³2001: 24.9 µg/m³2002: 23.3 µg/m³2003: 27.4 µg/m³2004: 22.9 µg/m³2005: 29.4 µg/m³2006: 23.8 µg/m³2007: 27 µg/m³2008: 26.9 µg/m³2009: 27.3 µg/m³2010: 29.8 µg/m³2011: 30.1 µg/m³2012: 27.7 µg/m³2013: 29.9 µg/m³2014: 26.7 µg/m³2015: 26.4 µg/m³2016: 26.7 µg/m³2017: 27.2 µg/m³2018: 26.6 µg/m³2019: 27.5 µg/m³2020: 28.4 µg/m³2021: 26.4 µg/m³2022: 26.9 µg/m³2023: 27.8 µg/m³2024: 30.7 µg/m³

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

El Salvador recorded 30.7 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.

The figure is up 10.4% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in El Salvador peaked at 31.9 µg/m³ in 1998 and was at its lowest, 22.9 µg/m³, in 2004.

El Salvador ranks 45th of 241 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 27.5 µg/m³ 23.1 µg/m³ 31.9 µg/m³ 2
2000s 25.97 µg/m³ 22.9 µg/m³ 29.4 µg/m³ 10
2010s 27.86 µg/m³ 26.4 µg/m³ 30.1 µg/m³ 10
2020s 28.04 µg/m³ 26.4 µg/m³ 30.7 µg/m³ 5

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 42 Mali 31 µg/m³ compare
  2. 42 Togo 31 µg/m³ compare
  3. 44 Syria 30.8 µg/m³ compare
  4. 46 Uzbekistan 30 µg/m³ compare
  5. 47 Turkmenistan 29.1 µg/m³ compare
  6. 48 Guinea-Bissau 29 µg/m³ compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in El Salvador?
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in El Salvador was 30.7 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 El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 31.9 µg/m³ in 1998.
What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 22.9 µg/m³ in 2004.
How does El Salvador rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
El Salvador ranks 45th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador 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

Indicator
Exposure to outdoor air pollution
Unit
µg/m³
Source
SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
241 places, 6,507 data points, 1998–2024
Last refreshed

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.