Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ireland
Ireland: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 6.75 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ireland, 2010–2023
Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 6.75 micrograms per cubic meter for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of down 12.6% on the previous year and down 31.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ireland peaked at 10.84 micrograms per cubic meter in 2011 and was at its lowest, 6.75 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2023.
That places Ireland 198th out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ireland, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 9.75 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 10.84 micrograms per cubic meter | +11.2% |
| 2012 | 9.55 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.9% |
| 2013 | 9.8 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 9.37 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 9.51 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 8.38 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.9% |
| 2017 | 8.18 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 8.5 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 8.44 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 7.98 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 7.33 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 7.72 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 6.75 micrograms per cubic meter | -12.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 9.23 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.18 micrograms per cubic meter | 10.84 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.45 micrograms per cubic meter | 6.75 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.98 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 195 Northern Mariana Islands 7.19 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 196 Luxembourg 7.03 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 197 Liechtenstein 6.97 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 199 Marshall Islands 6.6 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 200 Vanuatu 6.59 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 201 Portugal 6.51 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 13.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0688 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -4.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ireland?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Ireland was 6.75 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, according to World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 10.84 micrograms per cubic meter in 2011.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.75 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- Ireland ranks 198th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (population-weighted), by location (micrograms per cubic meter).