Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita was 35.81 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
35.81 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
31st
of 200 countries
All-time high
41.39 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2013
All-time low
32.74 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2017
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2023
Source: Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
In 2023, exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 35.81 micrograms per cubic meter.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 41.39 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 and was at its lowest, 32.74 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2017.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 31st of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 35.72 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 36.1 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 36.26 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 36.42 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 36.58 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 37.2 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 36.9 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 37.06 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 37.22 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 37.38 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 37.3 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 39.48 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 38.77 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 38.69 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 40.82 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 39.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 35.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -10.1% |
| 2007 | 35.1 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 36.53 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 36.58 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 39.91 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.1% |
| 2011 | 37.51 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 40.51 micrograms per cubic meter | +8.0% |
| 2013 | 41.39 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 36.36 micrograms per cubic meter | -12.1% |
| 2015 | 40.49 micrograms per cubic meter | +11.4% |
| 2016 | 36.96 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.7% |
| 2017 | 32.74 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.4% |
| 2018 | 33.49 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 37.41 micrograms per cubic meter | +11.7% |
| 2020 | 36.24 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 36.85 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 36.83 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 35.81 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 35.81 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for low income countries, which is 33.29 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 35.81 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.49 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.68 micrograms per cubic meter | 35.72 micrograms per cubic meter | 37.38 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.84 micrograms per cubic meter | 35.1 micrograms per cubic meter | 40.82 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.68 micrograms per cubic meter | 32.74 micrograms per cubic meter | 41.39 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.43 micrograms per cubic meter | 35.81 micrograms per cubic meter | 36.85 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 28 Burkina Faso 37.32 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 29 Congo 36.54 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 30 Rwanda 36.01 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 32 Burundi 35.69 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 33 Mali 35.52 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 34 Myanmar 35.07 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More economy & growth data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 197.81 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0026 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1.81 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.87 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -35.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0205 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 16.56 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 16.58 % change on previous year (2023)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0731 includes gold, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per capita 48.25 includes gold, current US$ per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Democratic Republic of Congo was 35.81 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, according to Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 41.39 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013.
- What is the lowest exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.74 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 31st out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.