Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 20.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone is 20.2 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 10.4% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sierra Leone peaked at 26.2 µg/m³ in 1998 and was at its lowest, 17.9 µg/m³, in 2006.
That places Sierra Leone 84th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.65 µg/m³ | 25.1 µg/m³ | 26.2 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.26 µg/m³ | 17.9 µg/m³ | 22.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.82 µg/m³ | 18.7 µg/m³ | 22.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.88 µg/m³ | 18.3 µg/m³ | 20.2 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More environment data for Sierra Leone
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 7.93 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 0.9174 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 2.62 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.7175 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.45 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0007 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 5.57 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0004 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.005 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.7846 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sierra Leone?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sierra Leone was 20.2 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 26.2 µg/m³ in 1998.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9 µg/m³ in 2006.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Sierra Leone ranks 84th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.