Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Philippines
Philippines: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 23.1 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Philippines, 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 Philippines is 23.1 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 3.1% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Philippines peaked at 24 µg/m³ in 2009 and was at its lowest, 17.6 µg/m³, in 1999.
That places Philippines 71st out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Philippines, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 18.2 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 17.6 µg/m³ | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 20.8 µg/m³ | +18.2% |
| 2001 | 21.1 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 20.8 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 21.4 µg/m³ | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 22.6 µg/m³ | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 23.9 µg/m³ | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 22 µg/m³ | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 21.5 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 21 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 24 µg/m³ | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 20.5 µg/m³ | -14.6% |
| 2011 | 22.2 µg/m³ | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 21.6 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 21.9 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 22.1 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 21.8 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 21.3 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 22.5 µg/m³ | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 21.8 µg/m³ | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 22.6 µg/m³ | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 21.5 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 22.2 µg/m³ | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 23.9 µg/m³ | +7.7% |
| 2023 | 22.4 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2024 | 23.1 µg/m³ | +3.1% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 23.1 µg/m³ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 23.1 µg/m³ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.9 µg/m³, 2.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.9 µg/m³ | 17.6 µg/m³ | 18.2 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 21.91 µg/m³ | 20.8 µg/m³ | 24 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.83 µg/m³ | 20.5 µg/m³ | 22.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.62 µg/m³ | 21.5 µg/m³ | 23.9 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More environment data for Philippines
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 6.85 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 7.07 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.177 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.905 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.74 % 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 -2.01 % 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 Philippines?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Philippines was 23.1 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 24 µg/m³ in 2009.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.6 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Philippines rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Philippines ranks 71st out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Philippines 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.