Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Gabon
Gabon: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 32.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Gabon, 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 Gabon is 32.2 µg/m³, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of up 17.9% on the previous year and up 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Gabon peaked at 32.2 µg/m³ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16.5 µg/m³, in 1999.
That places Gabon 36th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Gabon, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 19.5 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 16.5 µg/m³ | -15.4% |
| 2000 | 19.4 µg/m³ | +17.6% |
| 2001 | 22.3 µg/m³ | +14.9% |
| 2002 | 19.5 µg/m³ | -12.6% |
| 2003 | 20.2 µg/m³ | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 22.7 µg/m³ | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 19.2 µg/m³ | -15.4% |
| 2006 | 18.6 µg/m³ | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 22 µg/m³ | +18.3% |
| 2008 | 27.3 µg/m³ | +24.1% |
| 2009 | 23.4 µg/m³ | -14.3% |
| 2010 | 26.7 µg/m³ | +14.1% |
| 2011 | 28.2 µg/m³ | +5.6% |
| 2012 | 27.6 µg/m³ | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 30.8 µg/m³ | +11.6% |
| 2014 | 26.1 µg/m³ | -15.3% |
| 2015 | 29.3 µg/m³ | +12.3% |
| 2016 | 28.5 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 27.1 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 27.7 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 28.5 µg/m³ | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 29.2 µg/m³ | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 27.5 µg/m³ | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 28.9 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 27.3 µg/m³ | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 32.2 µg/m³ | +17.9% |
Gabon compared with similar countries
- Gabon's 32.2 µg/m³ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 1.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Gabon's 32.2 µg/m³ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18 µg/m³ | 16.5 µg/m³ | 19.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 21.46 µg/m³ | 18.6 µg/m³ | 27.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.05 µg/m³ | 26.1 µg/m³ | 30.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.02 µg/m³ | 27.3 µg/m³ | 32.2 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Gabon
More environment data for Gabon
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.43 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.219 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.09 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.06 % 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 0.6222 % 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 Gabon?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Gabon was 32.2 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 Gabon?
- The highest recorded value was 32.2 µg/m³ in 2024.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Gabon?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.5 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Gabon rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Gabon ranks 36th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Gabon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gabon 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.