Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution was 9.46 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Average annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution in United Kingdom, 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
United Kingdom recorded 9.46 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 5.5% on the previous year and down 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in United Kingdom peaked at 20.16 micrograms per cubic meter in 1991 and was at its lowest, 9.46 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2023.
That places United Kingdom 158th 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 | 19.41 micrograms per cubic meter | 18.38 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.16 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.07 micrograms per cubic meter | 11.99 micrograms per cubic meter | 19.35 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.38 micrograms per cubic meter | 10.29 micrograms per cubic meter | 13.02 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.75 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.46 micrograms per cubic meter | 10.02 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 155 Spain 10.08 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 156 Austria 10.03 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 157 Solomon Islands 9.77 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 159 Cuba 9.45 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 160 Seychelles 9.26 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 161 Andorra 8.88 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for United Kingdom
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 386.7 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 5.58 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 31.55 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.7351 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 3.35 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.078 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 58.88 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.3113 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1931 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 22.62 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in United Kingdom?
- Average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution in United Kingdom was 9.46 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 20.16 micrograms per cubic meter in 1991.
- What is the lowest average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.46 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution?
- United Kingdom ranks 158th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average annual exposure to pm2.5 air pollution rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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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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.