Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Denmark
Denmark: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 7.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Denmark, 1990–2023
Source: Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 7.5 micrograms per cubic meter for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.6% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Denmark peaked at 16.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990 and was at its lowest, 7.5 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2023.
That places Denmark 173rd out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.05 micrograms per cubic meter | 15.15 micrograms per cubic meter | 16.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.86 micrograms per cubic meter | 10.92 micrograms per cubic meter | 15.27 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.04 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.49 micrograms per cubic meter | 13.46 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.78 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.5 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.2 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 170 Puerto Rico 7.84 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 171 Brunei 7.57 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 175 Vanuatu 6.99 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 176 United States 6.97 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Denmark
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 38.26 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 6.4 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 6.34 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.2865 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.5045 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0088 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 8.07 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.1091 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.014 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.8057 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Denmark?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Denmark was 7.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, according to Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 16.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 1990.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
- How does Denmark rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Denmark ranks 173rd out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures 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 part of Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.