PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim in United States
United States: PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim was 0.1% in 2017. ▲ Rising
PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim in United States, 1990–2017
Source: Brauer, M. et al. 2017, for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
The most recent figure for pm2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who interim in United States is 0.1%, measured in 2017.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 69.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pm2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who interim in United States peaked at 0.2% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
That places United States 121st out of 194 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim in United States, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1995 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +405.9% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -8.8% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -29.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -13.5% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -47.8% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 8 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 118 Sierra Leone 1.9% compare
- 119 Kazakhstan 1.4% compare
- 120 Colombia 1.3% compare
- 122 Spain 0.0% compare
- 123 American Samoa 0.0%
- 123 Andorra 0.0%
- 123 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0%
- 123 Australia 0.0% compare
- 123 Austria 0.0% compare
- 123 Bahamas 0.0%
- 123 Barbados 0.0% compare
- 123 Belgium 0.0%
- 123 Bermuda 0.0%
- 123 Brunei Darussalam 0.0%
- 123 Canada 0.0%
- 123 Comoros 0.0% compare
- 123 Costa Rica 0.0%
- 123 Cyprus 0.0% compare
- 123 Denmark 0.0%
- 123 Dominica 0.0%
- 123 Dominican Republic 0.0%
- 123 Ecuador 0.0% compare
- 123 Estonia 0.0%
- 123 Eswatini 0.0%
- 123 Fiji 0.0%
- 123 Finland 0.0%
- 123 France 0.0% compare
- 123 Germany 0.0% compare
- 123 Greenland 0.0%
- 123 Grenada 0.0% compare
- 123 Guam 0.0%
- 123 Haiti 0.0% compare
- 123 Hungary 0.0% compare
- 123 Iceland 0.0%
- 123 Ireland 0.0%
- 123 Jamaica 0.0% compare
- 123 Japan 0.0%
- 123 Kiribati 0.0%
- 123 Latvia 0.0% compare
- 123 Liberia 0.0%
- 123 Lithuania 0.0%
- 123 Luxembourg 0.0%
- 123 Malaysia 0.0% compare
- 123 Maldives 0.0%
- 123 Malta 0.0%
- 123 Marshall Islands 0.0%
- 123 Mauritius 0.0%
- 123 Micronesia (country) 0.0%
- 123 Republic of Moldova 0.0% compare
- 123 Netherlands 0.0%
- 123 New Zealand 0.0%
- 123 Northern Mariana Islands 0.0%
- 123 Norway 0.0%
- 123 Panama 0.0%
- 123 Papua New Guinea 0.0%
- 123 Paraguay 0.0%
- 123 Portugal 0.0%
- 123 Puerto Rico 0.0%
- 123 Romania 0.0% compare
- 123 Samoa 0.0%
- 123 Seychelles 0.0% compare
- 123 Singapore 0.0% compare
- 123 Slovakia 0.0% compare
- 123 Slovenia 0.0% compare
- 123 Solomon Islands 0.0%
- 123 Sri Lanka 0.0% compare
- 123 Saint Lucia 0.0% compare
- 123 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.0% compare
- 123 Sweden 0.0%
- 123 Switzerland 0.0% compare
- 123 Timor-Leste 0.0% compare
- 123 Tonga 0.0%
- 123 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.0%
- 123 Uruguay 0.0%
- 123 Vanuatu 0.0%
- 123 United States Virgin Islands 0.0%
More environment data for United States
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.91 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.62 Percentage change (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 6,193 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 1,199 (2024)
- Total fisheries production 4.68 million metric tons (2024)
- Capture fisheries production 4.21 million metric tons (2024)
- Aquaculture production 467,617 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Waste 9.94 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pm2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who interim in United States?
- Pm2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who interim in United States was 0.1% in 2017, according to Brauer, M. et al. 2017, for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.
- What is the highest pm2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who interim recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2012.
- What is the lowest pm2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who interim recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does United States rank for pm2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who interim?
- United States ranks 121st out of 194 countries with data for 2017.
- Is pm2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who interim rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Brauer, M. et al. 2017, for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, published as part of PM2.5 pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO Interim Target-2 value (% of total). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Percent of population exposed to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) Interim Target 2 (IT-2) is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 25 micrograms per cubic meter. The Air Quality Guideline (AQG) of 10 micrograms per cubic meter is recommended by the WHO as the lower end of the range of concentrations over which adverse health effects due to PM2.5 exposure have been observed.