Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mexico
Mexico: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 18.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mexico, 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
Mexico recorded 18.3 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
The figure is up 7.6% on the previous year and up 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mexico peaked at 19.8 µg/m³ in 2000 and was at its lowest, 14.8 µg/m³, in 1999.
That places Mexico 94th 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 Mexico, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 19.7 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 14.8 µg/m³ | -24.9% |
| 2000 | 19.8 µg/m³ | +33.8% |
| 2001 | 18.2 µg/m³ | -8.1% |
| 2002 | 18.1 µg/m³ | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 18.9 µg/m³ | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 17 µg/m³ | -10.1% |
| 2005 | 18.7 µg/m³ | +10.0% |
| 2006 | 17.3 µg/m³ | -7.5% |
| 2007 | 17.8 µg/m³ | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 16.9 µg/m³ | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 16.7 µg/m³ | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 15.9 µg/m³ | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 17.4 µg/m³ | +9.4% |
| 2012 | 17 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 17.4 µg/m³ | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 16.3 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2015 | 16.7 µg/m³ | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 17 µg/m³ | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 17.3 µg/m³ | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 16.6 µg/m³ | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 17.3 µg/m³ | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 17.1 µg/m³ | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 17.1 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 16.8 µg/m³ | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 17 µg/m³ | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 18.3 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 18.3 µg/m³ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 18.3 µg/m³ is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.75 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.25 µg/m³ | 14.8 µg/m³ | 19.7 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.94 µg/m³ | 16.7 µg/m³ | 19.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.89 µg/m³ | 15.9 µg/m³ | 17.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.26 µg/m³ | 16.8 µg/m³ | 18.3 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More environment data for Mexico
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.6859 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.6189 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.234 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.62 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.1645 % 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 -0.5194 % 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 Mexico?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Mexico was 18.3 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 19.8 µg/m³ in 2000.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Mexico rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Mexico ranks 94th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico 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.