PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO was 3.7% in 2017. ◆ Volatile
PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO in Puerto Rico, 1990–2017
Source: Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017), Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Measured in % of total.
Analysis
In 2017, pm2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who in Puerto Rico stood at 3.7%.
That represents a change of down 94.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pm2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who in Puerto Rico peaked at 71.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1990.
Puerto Rico ranks 184th of 194 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.8% | — |
| 1995 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 63.3% | +3350.0% |
| 2005 | 62.4% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 62.4% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 71.6% | +14.7% |
| 2012 | 45.9% | -35.9% |
| 2013 | 32.1% | -30.0% |
| 2014 | 15.6% | -51.4% |
| 2015 | 14.7% | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | -75.0% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 3.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 94.8%, 4% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 3.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 100.0%, 4% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 62.8% | 62.4% | 63.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 31.2% | 3.7% | 71.6% | 8 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
More urban development data for Puerto Rico
- Population in the largest city 81.0% (2025)
- Population density 361.19 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 7.84 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.7641 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 2.43 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual -0.1207 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 275.04 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 2.43 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0 Tonnes (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pm2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who in Puerto Rico?
- Pm2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who in Puerto Rico was 3.7% in 2017, according to Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017), Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
- What is the highest pm2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 71.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest pm2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1990.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for pm2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who?
- Puerto Rico ranks 184th out of 194 countries with data for 2017.
- Is pm2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding who rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 94.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Puerto Rico data come from?
- The figures come from Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017), Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), published as part of PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO guideline 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 WHO guideline value is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 10 micrograms per cubic meter, the guideline value recommended by the World Health Organization as the lower end of the range of concentrations over which adverse health effects due to PM2.5 exposure have been observed.