Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Italy
Italy: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 13.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Italy, 2010–2023
Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
Italy recorded 13.7 micrograms per cubic meter for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Italy peaked at 20.57 micrograms per cubic meter in 2011 and was at its lowest, 13.36 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2020.
Italy ranks 120th of 226 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Italy, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 19.68 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 20.57 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 18.24 micrograms per cubic meter | -11.3% |
| 2013 | 17.42 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 16.88 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 16.97 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 15.62 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.0% |
| 2017 | 15.78 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 16.04 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 14.61 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.9% |
| 2020 | 13.36 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 13.94 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 14.23 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 13.7 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 17.18 micrograms per cubic meter | 14.61 micrograms per cubic meter | 20.57 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.81 micrograms per cubic meter | 13.36 micrograms per cubic meter | 14.23 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 117 Turks and Caicos Islands 14 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 118 Aruba 13.92 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 119 Croatia 13.82 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 121 Bulgaria 13.69 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 122 Albania 13.47 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 123 Slovakia 12.61 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 123 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 12.61 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Italy
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.04 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.47 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.324 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.18 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 5.49 % 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 0.0813 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -1.04 % 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 Italy?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Italy was 13.7 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 20.57 micrograms per cubic meter in 2011.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.36 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020.
- How does Italy rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- Italy ranks 120th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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).