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
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.
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
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP -1.7% (2025)
- Inflation of consumer prices 2.4% (2025)
- GDP per capita 2,523 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 13.5% (2025)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 3.69 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 2,523 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 87.33 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) 10.54 trillion current LCU (2024)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) 124.62 billion current US$ (2024)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 31.86 trillion current LCU (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.