Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in Palau
Palau: Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita was 4.94 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.94 micrograms per cubic meter
Change on year
down 6.1%
World rank
187th
of 200 countries
All-time high
8.43 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2002
All-time low
4.44 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in Palau, 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
Palau recorded 4.94 micrograms per cubic meter for exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in 2023.
That represents a change of down 6.1% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Palau peaked at 8.43 micrograms per cubic meter in 2002 and was at its lowest, 4.44 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2020.
Palau ranks 187th of 200 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita in Palau, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6.69 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1991 | 6.54 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 6.48 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 6.42 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 6.35 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 6.11 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 6.23 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 6.17 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 6.11 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 6.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 6.07 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 6.84 micrograms per cubic meter | +12.6% |
| 2002 | 8.43 micrograms per cubic meter | +23.3% |
| 2003 | 6.87 micrograms per cubic meter | -18.4% |
| 2004 | 6.93 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 5.94 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.3% |
| 2006 | 6.31 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 6.24 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 6.46 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 7.65 micrograms per cubic meter | +18.5% |
| 2010 | 4.75 micrograms per cubic meter | -37.8% |
| 2011 | 5.93 micrograms per cubic meter | +24.7% |
| 2012 | 6.51 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.8% |
| 2013 | 5.78 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.1% |
| 2014 | 6.96 micrograms per cubic meter | +20.3% |
| 2015 | 7.88 micrograms per cubic meter | +13.2% |
| 2016 | 5.58 micrograms per cubic meter | -29.2% |
| 2017 | 5.06 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.4% |
| 2018 | 5.54 micrograms per cubic meter | +9.5% |
| 2019 | 5.51 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 4.44 micrograms per cubic meter | -19.4% |
| 2021 | 5.02 micrograms per cubic meter | +13.2% |
| 2022 | 5.26 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 4.94 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.1% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 4.94 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.06 micrograms per cubic meter, 49% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Palau's 4.94 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.77 micrograms per cubic meter, 51% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.31 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.04 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.69 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.77 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.94 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.43 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.75 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.88 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.92 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.44 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.26 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Palau
- 184 Bahamas 5.28 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 185 Sweden 5.26 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 186 Tuvalu 5.22 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 188 Iceland 4.93 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 189 Nauru 4.84 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 190 Tonga 4.69 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More economy & growth data for Palau
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.69 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Special drawing rights per domestic currency (End-of-period (EoP)) 0.7302 (2025)
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP -40.4% (2024)
- Gdp worldbank constant usd, annual growth rate 6.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- US dollar per domestic currency (End-of-period (EoP)) 1 (2025)
- Gdp worldbank constant usd, per unit of GDP 0.7995 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing value added to gdp, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2024)
- Gdp worldbank constant usd, per capita 15,617 units per person (2025)
- Domestic currency per US dollar (End-of-period (EoP)) 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Palau?
- Exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita in Palau was 4.94 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 Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 8.43 micrograms per cubic meter in 2002.
- What is the lowest exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.44 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020.
- How does Palau rank for exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita?
- Palau ranks 187th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Palau 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.