Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Senegal
Senegal: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 36.5 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Senegal, 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
Senegal recorded 36.5 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.5% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Senegal peaked at 44.1 µg/m³ in 1998 and was at its lowest, 33.9 µg/m³, in 2006.
That places Senegal 25th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Senegal, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 44.1 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 39.2 µg/m³ | -11.1% |
| 2000 | 40.5 µg/m³ | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 36.9 µg/m³ | -8.9% |
| 2002 | 36.9 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 36.4 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 36.4 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 36.4 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 33.9 µg/m³ | -6.9% |
| 2007 | 37.7 µg/m³ | +11.2% |
| 2008 | 38.4 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 34.6 µg/m³ | -9.9% |
| 2010 | 35.4 µg/m³ | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 37.3 µg/m³ | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 37.9 µg/m³ | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 33.9 µg/m³ | -10.6% |
| 2014 | 35.3 µg/m³ | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 38.7 µg/m³ | +9.6% |
| 2016 | 37.4 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 39.2 µg/m³ | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 37.1 µg/m³ | -5.4% |
| 2019 | 37 µg/m³ | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 37.2 µg/m³ | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 38.1 µg/m³ | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 35.9 µg/m³ | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 34.6 µg/m³ | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 36.5 µg/m³ | +5.5% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 36.5 µg/m³ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 36.5 µg/m³ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2 µg/m³, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41.65 µg/m³ | 39.2 µg/m³ | 44.1 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.81 µg/m³ | 33.9 µg/m³ | 40.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.92 µg/m³ | 33.9 µg/m³ | 39.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.46 µg/m³ | 34.6 µg/m³ | 38.1 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
More environment data for Senegal
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.06 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.432 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.48 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.08 % 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 -0.1647 % 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 Senegal?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Senegal was 36.5 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 Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 44.1 µg/m³ in 1998.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.9 µg/m³ in 2006.
- How does Senegal rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Senegal ranks 25th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Senegal 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.