Which country in Oceania has the most polluted air?

Papua New Guinea has the most polluted air in Oceania: 14.1 µg/m³ (2023). Next come the Solomon Islands (9.8 µg/m³) and Vanuatu (7.0 µg/m³).

Which country in Oceania has the cleanest air?

Micronesia, with 3.5 µg/m³ (2023).

What is the typical air pollution (pm2.5) of a country in Oceania?

The median of the 13 countries in Oceania is 4.9 µg/m³: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.

Where do the figures come from?

The average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air people breathe over a year, in micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s guideline is 5. Source: World Bank, 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Countries in Oceania by air pollution (pm2.5)

The average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air people breathe over a year, in micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s guideline is 5. 13 countries in Oceania, highest first. World Bank, 2023

See it on the map

Map: Air pollution (PM2.5) — Oceania — **7.6**1216202737No data

Highest

14.1

Papua New Guinea

Median country

4.9

half above, half below

Lowest

3.5

Micronesia

Countries in Oceania by air pollution (pm2.5), World Bank, 2023
#	Country	µg/m³	Region
1	Papua New Guinea	14.1	Melanesia
2	Solomon Islands	9.8	Melanesia
3	Vanuatu	7.0	Melanesia
4	New Zealand	6.9	Australia and New Zealand
=5	Australia	6.4	Australia and New Zealand
=5	Fiji	6.4	Melanesia
7	Palau	4.9	Micronesia
8	Nauru	4.8	Micronesia
9	Tonga	4.7	Polynesia
10	Samoa	4.6	Polynesia
11	Marshall Islands	4.1	Micronesia
12	Kiribati	3.9	Micronesia
13	Micronesia	3.5	Micronesia

Territories and other places

Not ranked: dependencies of the states above, places whose status is disputed. Highest first.

Place	µg/m³	Status
American Samoa	4.3	Territory of United States of America
Guam	3.5	Territory of United States of America
Northern Mariana Islands	2.7	Territory of United States of America

Questions

Which country in Oceania has the most polluted air?: Papua New Guinea has the most polluted air in Oceania: 14.1 µg/m³ (2023). Next come the Solomon Islands (9.8 µg/m³) and Vanuatu (7.0 µg/m³).
Which country in Oceania has the cleanest air?: Micronesia, with 3.5 µg/m³ (2023).
What is the typical air pollution (pm2.5) of a country in Oceania?: The median of the 13 countries in Oceania is 4.9 µg/m³: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
Where do the figures come from?: The average concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air people breathe over a year, in micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s guideline is 5. Source: World Bank, 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.