Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mauritania
Mauritania: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 35.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mauritania, 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 Mauritania stood at 35.2 µg/m³.
That represents a change of up 8.6% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mauritania peaked at 42 µg/m³ in 1998 and was at its lowest, 32.4 µg/m³, in 2023.
That places Mauritania 29th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 42 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 38.7 µg/m³ | -7.9% |
| 2000 | 39.2 µg/m³ | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 35.5 µg/m³ | -9.4% |
| 2002 | 38 µg/m³ | +7.0% |
| 2003 | 38.1 µg/m³ | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 36.3 µg/m³ | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 35.3 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 33.5 µg/m³ | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 38.1 µg/m³ | +13.7% |
| 2008 | 38.2 µg/m³ | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 35.7 µg/m³ | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 36.2 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 38.5 µg/m³ | +6.4% |
| 2012 | 38.8 µg/m³ | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 33.4 µg/m³ | -13.9% |
| 2014 | 34 µg/m³ | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 37.9 µg/m³ | +11.5% |
| 2016 | 36.3 µg/m³ | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 37.9 µg/m³ | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 35.3 µg/m³ | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 35 µg/m³ | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 34.1 µg/m³ | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 37.9 µg/m³ | +11.1% |
| 2022 | 35 µg/m³ | -7.7% |
| 2023 | 32.4 µg/m³ | -7.4% |
| 2024 | 35.2 µg/m³ | +8.6% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 35.2 µg/m³ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 35.2 µg/m³ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.35 µg/m³ | 38.7 µg/m³ | 42 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.79 µg/m³ | 33.5 µg/m³ | 39.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.33 µg/m³ | 33.4 µg/m³ | 38.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.92 µg/m³ | 32.4 µg/m³ | 37.9 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More environment data for Mauritania
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.465 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.85 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.9 % 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 0.4893 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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 0.0349 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mauritania?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mauritania was 35.2 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 Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 42 µg/m³ in 1998.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.4 µg/m³ in 2023.
- How does Mauritania rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Mauritania ranks 29th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania 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.