Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in India
India: Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita was 54.05 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
54.05 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
up 6.7%
World rank
11th
of 200 countries
All-time high
56.68 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2018
All-time low
48 micrograms per cubic meter
in 1995
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in India, 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 India stood at 54.05 micrograms per cubic meter.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.7% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in India peaked at 56.68 micrograms per cubic meter in 2018 and was at its lowest, 48 micrograms per cubic meter, in 1995.
That places India 11th out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in India, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 51.2 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 50.17 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 50.12 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 50.08 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 50.03 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 48 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 49.95 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 49.9 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 49.86 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 49.81 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 50.76 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 50.45 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 51.25 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 52.52 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 50.84 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 51.34 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 49.25 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 49.45 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 51.27 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 52.26 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 51.72 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 55.03 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.4% |
| 2012 | 53.02 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 52.27 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 51.69 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 51.44 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 54.42 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 55.17 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 56.68 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 53.6 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 52.19 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 55.62 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 50.66 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.9% |
| 2023 | 54.05 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.7% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 54.05 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.98 micrograms per cubic meter, 2.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 54.05 micrograms per cubic meter is above the median for South Asia, which is 41.64 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.91 micrograms per cubic meter | 48 micrograms per cubic meter | 51.2 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.94 micrograms per cubic meter | 49.25 micrograms per cubic meter | 52.52 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.5 micrograms per cubic meter | 51.44 micrograms per cubic meter | 56.68 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.13 micrograms per cubic meter | 50.66 micrograms per cubic meter | 55.62 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
- 8 United Arab Emirates 57.19 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 9 Bahrain 56.57 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 10 Cameroon 55.6 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 12 Nepal 53.2 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 13 Iraq 49.47 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 14 Oman 46.86 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More economy & growth data for India
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 5.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 35.69 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.009 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 24.38 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 39.10 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 44.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0099 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 26.71 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 8.87 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in India?
- Exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in India was 54.05 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 56.68 micrograms per cubic meter in 2018.
- What is the lowest exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 48 micrograms per cubic meter in 1995.
- How does India rank for exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita?
- India ranks 11th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.