Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Maldives
Maldives: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 10.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Maldives, 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
In 2024, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Maldives stood at 10.7 µg/m³. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.3% on the previous year and down 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Maldives peaked at 18 µg/m³ in 2007 and was at its lowest, 10.7 µg/m³, in 2024.
That places Maldives 158th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Maldives, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 13.5 µg/m³ | +22.7% |
| 2000 | 13.6 µg/m³ | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 13.9 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 11.9 µg/m³ | -14.4% |
| 2003 | 15.5 µg/m³ | +30.3% |
| 2004 | 14.1 µg/m³ | -9.0% |
| 2005 | 13.8 µg/m³ | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 14.5 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 18 µg/m³ | +24.1% |
| 2008 | 15.7 µg/m³ | -12.8% |
| 2009 | 16.3 µg/m³ | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 15 µg/m³ | -8.0% |
| 2011 | 16.3 µg/m³ | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 14.3 µg/m³ | -12.3% |
| 2013 | 12.6 µg/m³ | -11.9% |
| 2014 | 14 µg/m³ | +11.1% |
| 2015 | 11.9 µg/m³ | -15.0% |
| 2016 | 17.1 µg/m³ | +43.7% |
| 2017 | 15.7 µg/m³ | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 16.6 µg/m³ | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 13.3 µg/m³ | -19.9% |
| 2020 | 12.8 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 11.8 µg/m³ | -7.8% |
| 2022 | 12.6 µg/m³ | +6.8% |
| 2023 | 11.8 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2024 | 10.7 µg/m³ | -9.3% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 10.7 µg/m³ is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 62% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 10.7 µg/m³ is below the median for South Asia, which is 32.7 µg/m³, 33% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.25 µg/m³ | 11 µg/m³ | 13.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.73 µg/m³ | 11.9 µg/m³ | 18 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.68 µg/m³ | 11.9 µg/m³ | 17.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.94 µg/m³ | 10.7 µg/m³ | 12.8 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More environment data for Maldives
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.252 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.911 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.75 % 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 -100 % change on previous year (1991)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 4.35 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Maldives?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Maldives was 10.7 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 18 µg/m³ in 2007.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7 µg/m³ in 2024.
- How does Maldives rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Maldives ranks 158th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Maldives 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.