Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 73.52 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in Saudi Arabia, 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
Saudi Arabia recorded 73.52 micrograms per cubic meter for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.5% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Saudi Arabia peaked at 77.79 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 and was at its lowest, 52.06 micrograms per cubic meter, in 1991.
That places Saudi Arabia 2nd out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.42 micrograms per cubic meter | 52.06 micrograms per cubic meter | 60.09 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.59 micrograms per cubic meter | 59.16 micrograms per cubic meter | 71.58 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.15 micrograms per cubic meter | 63.41 micrograms per cubic meter | 76.81 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.35 micrograms per cubic meter | 68.4 micrograms per cubic meter | 77.79 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 838.88 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 23.76 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 8.68 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0153 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 69.55 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0811 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 113.12 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.3635 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.3983 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 33.24 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Saudi Arabia?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in Saudi Arabia was 73.52 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 77.79 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.06 micrograms per cubic meter in 1991.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 2nd out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.
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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.