Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 7.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Puerto Rico, 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 Puerto Rico is 7.3 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Puerto Rico peaked at 8.3 µg/m³ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 5.7 µg/m³, in 2011.
Puerto Rico ranks 192nd of 241 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6.9 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 8.1 µg/m³ | +17.4% |
| 2000 | 7.4 µg/m³ | -8.6% |
| 2001 | 7.6 µg/m³ | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 7.3 µg/m³ | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 6.9 µg/m³ | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 6 µg/m³ | -13.0% |
| 2005 | 6.8 µg/m³ | +13.3% |
| 2006 | 7.2 µg/m³ | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 7.1 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 6 µg/m³ | -15.5% |
| 2009 | 6.2 µg/m³ | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 7.2 µg/m³ | +16.1% |
| 2011 | 5.7 µg/m³ | -20.8% |
| 2012 | 6.7 µg/m³ | +17.5% |
| 2013 | 6.2 µg/m³ | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 6.3 µg/m³ | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 6.5 µg/m³ | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 7.1 µg/m³ | +9.2% |
| 2017 | 8.3 µg/m³ | +16.9% |
| 2018 | 8.2 µg/m³ | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 7.6 µg/m³ | -7.3% |
| 2020 | 7.7 µg/m³ | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 8 µg/m³ | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 6.6 µg/m³ | -17.5% |
| 2023 | 7.4 µg/m³ | +12.1% |
| 2024 | 7.3 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 7.3 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 71% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 7.3 µg/m³ is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.75 µg/m³, 53% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.5 µg/m³ | 6.9 µg/m³ | 8.1 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.85 µg/m³ | 6 µg/m³ | 7.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.98 µg/m³ | 5.7 µg/m³ | 8.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4 µg/m³ | 6.6 µg/m³ | 8 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
- 189 United States 7.5 µg/m³ compare
- 190 Guernsey 7.4 µg/m³ compare
- 190 Ireland 7.4 µg/m³ compare
- 193 Canada 7 µg/m³ compare
- 193 New Zealand 7 µg/m³ compare
- 193 Solomon Islands 7 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Puerto Rico
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.4091 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.5906 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.268 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.16 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.79 % 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 -0.8621 % 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 Puerto Rico?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Puerto Rico was 7.3 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 Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 8.3 µg/m³ in 2017.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7 µg/m³ in 2011.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Puerto Rico ranks 192nd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Puerto Rico 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.