Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Paraguay
Paraguay: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 21.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▬ Flat
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Paraguay, 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
Paraguay recorded 21.3 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.7% on the previous year and up 52.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Paraguay peaked at 21.3 µg/m³ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.5 µg/m³, in 2013.
Paraguay ranks 75th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Paraguay, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 15 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 18.4 µg/m³ | +22.7% |
| 2000 | 14.1 µg/m³ | -23.4% |
| 2001 | 15.7 µg/m³ | +11.3% |
| 2002 | 18.8 µg/m³ | +19.7% |
| 2003 | 16.8 µg/m³ | -10.6% |
| 2004 | 16.2 µg/m³ | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 16.2 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 15.2 µg/m³ | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 21.1 µg/m³ | +38.8% |
| 2008 | 13.5 µg/m³ | -36.0% |
| 2009 | 13.9 µg/m³ | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 15.7 µg/m³ | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 13.3 µg/m³ | -15.3% |
| 2012 | 14.7 µg/m³ | +10.5% |
| 2013 | 12.5 µg/m³ | -15.0% |
| 2014 | 14 µg/m³ | +12.0% |
| 2015 | 14.8 µg/m³ | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 14 µg/m³ | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 14.2 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 12.9 µg/m³ | -9.2% |
| 2019 | 16 µg/m³ | +24.0% |
| 2020 | 19.3 µg/m³ | +20.6% |
| 2021 | 15.9 µg/m³ | -17.6% |
| 2022 | 15.5 µg/m³ | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 17.8 µg/m³ | +14.8% |
| 2024 | 21.3 µg/m³ | +19.7% |
Paraguay compared with similar countries
- Paraguay's 21.3 µg/m³ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Paraguay's 21.3 µg/m³ is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.75 µg/m³, 1.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.7 µg/m³ | 15 µg/m³ | 18.4 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.15 µg/m³ | 13.5 µg/m³ | 21.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.21 µg/m³ | 12.5 µg/m³ | 16 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.96 µg/m³ | 15.5 µg/m³ | 21.3 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Paraguay
- 72 Kenya 22 µg/m³ compare
- 73 Malawi 21.8 µg/m³ compare
- 74 Georgia 21.5 µg/m³ compare
- 76 North Korea 21.2 µg/m³ compare
- 77 South Korea 21 µg/m³ compare
- 78 North Macedonia 20.7 µg/m³ compare
- 78 Sri Lanka 20.7 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Paraguay
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.6 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.45 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.698 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.19 % 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 0.2789 % 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 Paraguay?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Paraguay was 21.3 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 Paraguay?
- The highest recorded value was 21.3 µg/m³ in 2024.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Paraguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5 µg/m³ in 2013.
- How does Paraguay rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Paraguay ranks 75th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Paraguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Paraguay 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.