Annual mean levels of PM2.5 and PM10 in cities weighted by population

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Headline data

Annual mean levels of PM2.5 in US cities weighted by population
Year Value
2000 15.6
2001 15.3
2002 14.4
2003 14.2
2004 13.7
2005 14.3
2006 13.0
2007 13.2
2008 12.1
2009 11.0
2010 10.9
2011 11.1
2012 10.6
2013 10.3
2014 9.9
2015 9.9
2016 9.0
2017 9.6
2018 9.8
2019 9.1
2020 9.6
2021 9.6
2022 8.9
2023 9.9

Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency

Geographical Area:

Unit of Measurement:

Footnote:

This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from United States statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from American statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other American-specific metadata information.

Indicator

Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5) in cities (population weighted)
Organisation

United States Environmental Protection Agency
Unit of measure

Concentration in micrograms per cubic meter
Data sources

https://www.epa.gov/aqs https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-cities-and-counties
Data providers

David Mintz
Date of national source publication

2024-08-16
Periodicity

annual
Date metadata updated

2024-08-16
Time period

2000 to most recent complete year of data. Ambient monitoring data for PM2.5 for a given calendar year is typically not available until May/June of the following year.

This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the UN Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata is provided by the UN Statistics Division.

Indicator

Indicator 11.6.2: Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted)
Target

Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
Organisation

World Health Organization (WHO)
Definition and concepts

Definition:

The mean annual concentration of fine suspended particles of less than 2.5 microns in diameters (PM2.5) is a common measure of air pollution. The mean is a population-weighted average for urban population in a country, and is expressed in micrograms per cubic meter [µg/m3].
Unit of measure

Micrograms per cubic meter [µg/m3]
Data sources

Sources of data include ground measurements from monitoring networks, collected for 6,000 cities and localities (WHO, 2022) around the world, satellite remote sensing, population estimates, topography, information on local monitoring networks and measures of specific contributors of air pollution (WHO, 2022).
Data providers

Ministry of Health, Ministry of the Environment
Comment and limitations

Urban/rural data: while the data quality available for urban/rural population is generally good for high-income countries, it can be relatively poor for some low- and middle income areas. Furthermore, the definition of urban/rural may greatly vary by country.
Method of computation

The annual urban mean concentration of PM2.5 is estimated with improved modelling using data integration from satellite remote sensing, population estimates, topography and ground measurements (WHO, 2016; Shaddick et al, 2016).
Metadata update

2023-12-15
International organisations(s) responsible for global monitoring

World Health Organization (WHO)
Related indicators

3.9.1: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution
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