Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 20.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sri Lanka, 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
In 2024, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sri Lanka stood at 20.7 µg/m³.
The figure is up 5.6% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sri Lanka peaked at 25.4 µg/m³ in 2018 and was at its lowest, 13.6 µg/m³, 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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 13.6 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 14.8 µg/m³ | +8.8% |
| 2000 | 18 µg/m³ | +21.6% |
| 2001 | 19.3 µg/m³ | +7.2% |
| 2002 | 18.1 µg/m³ | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 19.3 µg/m³ | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 18.5 µg/m³ | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 20.4 µg/m³ | +10.3% |
| 2006 | 19.7 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 21.3 µg/m³ | +8.1% |
| 2008 | 20.9 µg/m³ | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 21.6 µg/m³ | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 22.1 µg/m³ | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 22.9 µg/m³ | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 22.3 µg/m³ | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 23.4 µg/m³ | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 23 µg/m³ | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 21.1 µg/m³ | -8.3% |
| 2016 | 22.5 µg/m³ | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 22.5 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 25.4 µg/m³ | +12.9% |
| 2019 | 21.5 µg/m³ | -15.4% |
| 2020 | 19.9 µg/m³ | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 19.9 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 22.1 µg/m³ | +11.1% |
| 2023 | 19.6 µg/m³ | -11.3% |
| 2024 | 20.7 µg/m³ | +5.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 20.7 µg/m³ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 20.7 µg/m³ is below the median for South Asia, which is 32.7 µg/m³, 63% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.2 µg/m³ | 13.6 µg/m³ | 14.8 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.71 µg/m³ | 18 µg/m³ | 21.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.67 µg/m³ | 21.1 µg/m³ | 25.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.44 µg/m³ | 19.6 µg/m³ | 22.1 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 75 Paraguay 21.3 µg/m³ compare
- 76 North Korea 21.2 µg/m³ compare
- 77 South Korea 21 µg/m³ compare
- 78 North Macedonia 20.7 µg/m³ compare
- 80 Bulgaria 20.6 µg/m³ compare
- 81 Nicaragua 20.5 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- 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)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.63 % 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 1.22 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sri Lanka was 20.7 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 25.4 µg/m³ in 2018.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.6 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Sri Lanka ranks 78th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution 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 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.