Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Myanmar
Myanmar: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 31.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Myanmar, 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 Myanmar is 31.2 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 6.6% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Myanmar peaked at 33.8 µg/m³ in 2009 and was at its lowest, 25.2 µg/m³, in 2000.
Myanmar ranks 40th 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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Myanmar, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 25.6 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 27 µg/m³ | +5.5% |
| 2000 | 25.2 µg/m³ | -6.7% |
| 2001 | 26.4 µg/m³ | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 26.7 µg/m³ | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 27.5 µg/m³ | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 31.5 µg/m³ | +14.5% |
| 2005 | 29.8 µg/m³ | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 29.9 µg/m³ | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 33.1 µg/m³ | +10.7% |
| 2008 | 30.3 µg/m³ | -8.5% |
| 2009 | 33.8 µg/m³ | +11.6% |
| 2010 | 32.1 µg/m³ | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 29.8 µg/m³ | -7.2% |
| 2012 | 31.2 µg/m³ | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 31.6 µg/m³ | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 32.4 µg/m³ | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 30.6 µg/m³ | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 30.7 µg/m³ | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 28.4 µg/m³ | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 31.6 µg/m³ | +11.3% |
| 2019 | 32.7 µg/m³ | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 32 µg/m³ | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 32.7 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 27.6 µg/m³ | -15.6% |
| 2023 | 33.4 µg/m³ | +21.0% |
| 2024 | 31.2 µg/m³ | -6.6% |
Myanmar compared with similar countries
- Myanmar's 31.2 µg/m³ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Myanmar's 31.2 µg/m³ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.9 µg/m³, 3.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.3 µg/m³ | 25.6 µg/m³ | 27 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 29.42 µg/m³ | 25.2 µg/m³ | 33.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.11 µg/m³ | 28.4 µg/m³ | 32.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.38 µg/m³ | 27.6 µg/m³ | 33.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Myanmar
More environment data for Myanmar
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.016 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.9805 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.243 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.43 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.3823 % 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 -0.7174 % 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 Myanmar?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Myanmar was 31.2 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 Myanmar?
- The highest recorded value was 33.8 µg/m³ in 2009.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Myanmar?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.2 µg/m³ in 2000.
- How does Myanmar rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Myanmar ranks 40th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Myanmar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Myanmar 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.