Australia vs Norway: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution
Australia
6.41 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
Norway
5.52 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
Australia rank
181st
Norway rank
183rd
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution over time
- Australia
- Norway
How they compare
Australia currently reports 6.41 micrograms per cubic meter against 5.52 micrograms per cubic meter in Norway, a difference of 0.89 micrograms per cubic meter.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.2 times Norway's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Norway ahead.
Australia ranks 181st and Norway ranks 183rd of 200 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and Norway in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Norway | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.28 micrograms per cubic meter | 11.9 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.62 micrograms per cubic meter | Norway |
| 2000s | 6.18 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.17 micrograms per cubic meter | 2.99 micrograms per cubic meter | Norway |
| 2010s | 6.11 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.86 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.759 micrograms per cubic meter | Norway |
| 2020s | 6 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.8 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.1985 micrograms per cubic meter | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution, Australia or Norway?
- Australia, at 6.41 micrograms per cubic meter against 5.52 micrograms per cubic meter in Norway as of 2023.
- What is the difference in average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution between Australia and Norway?
- 0.89 micrograms per cubic meter, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Norway?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Australia and Norway rank globally for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Australia ranks 181st and Norway ranks 183rd of 200 countries.
- Where does this data 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 Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The average level of exposure of the population to suspended particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and damaging health. This is measured in micrograms per cubic meter.