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PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter)

The value for PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter) in OECD members was 14.53 as of 2017. As the graph below shows, over the past 27 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 17.35 in 1990 and a minimum value of 14.49 in 2016.

Definition: Population-weighted exposure to ambient PM2.5 pollution is defined as the average level of exposure of a nation's population to concentrations of suspended particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and causing severe health damage. Exposure is calculated by weighting mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 by population in both urban and rural areas.

Source: Brauer, M. et al. 2017, for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

Year	Value
1990	17.35
1995	16.96
2000	17.04
2005	17.05
2010	17.15
2011	17.28
2012	16.32
2013	16.08
2014	15.35
2015	15.46
2016	14.49
2017	14.53

PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO guideline value (% of total)

PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO guideline value (% of total) in OECD members was 60.77 as of 2017. Its highest value over the past 27 years was 80.57 in 1990, while its lowest value was 60.67 in 2016.

Definition: 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.

Source: Brauer, M. et al. 2017, for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

Year	Value
1990	80.57
1995	79.25
2000	78.35
2005	78.70
2010	76.79
2011	79.54
2012	73.11
2013	70.56
2014	66.15
2015	65.65
2016	60.67
2017	60.77

Classification

Topic: Environment Indicators

Sub-Topic: Emissions