Outdoor air pollution exposure in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 20.7 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
20.7
Change on year
up 5.6%
World rank
78th
of 241 countries
All-time high
25.4
in 2018
All-time low
13.6
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Sri Lanka, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, outdoor air pollution exposure in Sri Lanka stood at 20.7.
The figure is up 5.6% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Sri Lanka peaked at 25.4 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 13.6, in 1998.
Sri Lanka ranks 78th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 13.6 | — |
| 1999 | 14.8 | +8.8% |
| 2000 | 18 | +21.6% |
| 2001 | 19.3 | +7.2% |
| 2002 | 18.1 | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 19.3 | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 18.5 | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 20.4 | +10.3% |
| 2006 | 19.7 | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 21.3 | +8.1% |
| 2008 | 20.9 | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 21.6 | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 22.1 | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 22.9 | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 22.3 | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 23.4 | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 23 | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 21.1 | -8.3% |
| 2016 | 22.5 | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 22.5 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 25.4 | +12.9% |
| 2019 | 21.5 | -15.4% |
| 2020 | 19.9 | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 19.9 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 22.1 | +11.1% |
| 2023 | 19.6 | -11.3% |
| 2024 | 20.7 | +5.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 20.7 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 20.7 is below the median for South Asia, which is 32.7, 63% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.2 | 13.6 | 14.8 | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.71 | 18 | 21.6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.67 | 21.1 | 25.4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.44 | 19.6 | 22.1 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 75 Paraguay 21.3 compare
- 76 North Korea 21.2 compare
- 77 South Korea 21 compare
- 78 North Macedonia 20.7 compare
- 80 Bulgaria 20.6 compare
- 81 Nicaragua 20.5 compare
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- 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 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.0202 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 7.11 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Sri Lanka?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Sri Lanka was 20.7 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 25.4 in 2018.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.6 in 1998.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Sri Lanka ranks 78th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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).