Outdoor air pollution exposure in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 20.2 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
20.2
Change on year
up 10.4%
World rank
84th
of 241 countries
All-time high
26.2
in 1998
All-time low
17.9
in 2006
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Sierra Leone, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in Sierra Leone is 20.2, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 10.4% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Sierra Leone peaked at 26.2 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 17.9, 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 26.2 | — |
| 1999 | 25.1 | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 20.7 | -17.5% |
| 2001 | 18.7 | -9.7% |
| 2002 | 19.1 | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 19 | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 21.5 | +13.2% |
| 2005 | 20.6 | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 17.9 | -13.1% |
| 2007 | 21.1 | +17.9% |
| 2008 | 21.4 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 22.6 | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 20.9 | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 22.2 | +6.2% |
| 2012 | 19.2 | -13.5% |
| 2013 | 18.7 | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 18.9 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 21.3 | +12.7% |
| 2016 | 19.2 | -9.9% |
| 2017 | 19.2 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 19.8 | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 18.8 | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 18.6 | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 18.8 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 18.5 | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 18.3 | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 20.2 | +10.4% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 20.2 is below the median for low income countries, which is 30.8, 66% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 20.2 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2, 80% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.65 | 25.1 | 26.2 | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.26 | 17.9 | 22.6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.82 | 18.7 | 22.2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.88 | 18.3 | 20.2 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More environment data for Sierra Leone
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0003 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.2494 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.39 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.232 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.28 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 30.48 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.72 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Sierra Leone?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Sierra Leone was 20.2 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 26.2 in 1998.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9 in 2006.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Sierra Leone ranks 84th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Outdoor air pollution exposure. 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).