Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Samoa
Samoa: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 4.1 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Samoa, 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 Samoa is 4.1 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.7% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Samoa peaked at 4.8 µg/m³ in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.9 µg/m³, in 1999.
Samoa ranks 219th 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 Samoa, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3.6 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 2.9 µg/m³ | -19.4% |
| 2000 | 3.6 µg/m³ | +24.1% |
| 2001 | 3.9 µg/m³ | +8.3% |
| 2002 | 3.6 µg/m³ | -7.7% |
| 2003 | 3.7 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 3.7 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 µg/m³ | +8.1% |
| 2006 | 4.3 µg/m³ | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 4.2 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 3.6 µg/m³ | -14.3% |
| 2009 | 3.7 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 3.8 µg/m³ | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 3.6 µg/m³ | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 3.6 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.7 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 4.1 µg/m³ | +10.8% |
| 2015 | 4.8 µg/m³ | +17.1% |
| 2016 | 4.2 µg/m³ | -12.5% |
| 2017 | 4.5 µg/m³ | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 4.3 µg/m³ | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 4 µg/m³ | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 3.8 µg/m³ | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 3.1 µg/m³ | -18.4% |
| 2022 | 4.3 µg/m³ | +38.7% |
| 2023 | 4.3 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4.1 µg/m³ | -4.7% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 4.1 µg/m³ is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 24% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 4.1 µg/m³ is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.9 µg/m³, 46% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.25 µg/m³ | 2.9 µg/m³ | 3.6 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.83 µg/m³ | 3.6 µg/m³ | 4.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.06 µg/m³ | 3.6 µg/m³ | 4.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.92 µg/m³ | 3.1 µg/m³ | 4.3 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
- 216 Iceland 4.6 µg/m³ compare
- 217 Tuvalu 4.5 µg/m³ compare
- 218 Aland Islands 4.3 µg/m³ compare
- 219 Saint Helena 4.1 µg/m³ compare
- 221 Cocos Islands 4 µg/m³ compare
- 221 Faroe Islands 4 µg/m³ compare
- 221 Tokelau 4 µg/m³ compare
- 221 Wallis and Futuna 4 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Samoa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.3482 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.3183 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.23 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.919 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.68 % 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 -2.51 % 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 Samoa?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Samoa was 4.1 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 Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8 µg/m³ in 2015.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Samoa rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Samoa ranks 219th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Samoa 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.