Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Japan
Japan: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 8.53 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Japan, 2010–2023
Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
Japan recorded 8.53 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 2.3% on the previous year and down 38.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Japan peaked at 14.93 micrograms per cubic meter in 2010 and was at its lowest, 8.53 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2023.
Japan ranks 172nd of 226 countries on this measure, 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 Japan, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 14.93 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 14.54 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 13.12 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.8% |
| 2013 | 13.92 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.1% |
| 2014 | 13.51 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 13.24 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 12.38 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.5% |
| 2017 | 12.13 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 11.49 micrograms per cubic meter | -5.3% |
| 2019 | 10.76 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 9.2 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.5% |
| 2021 | 8.76 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 8.73 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 8.53 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 13 micrograms per cubic meter | 10.76 micrograms per cubic meter | 14.93 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.8 micrograms per cubic meter | 8.53 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.2 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 169 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 8.65 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 170 San Marino 8.62 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 171 Lithuania 8.6 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 173 Ecuador 8.45 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 174 Gibraltar 8.44 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 175 Guernsey 8.3 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Japan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.8 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.358 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate -2.84 % 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 0.0076 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -7.4 % 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 Japan?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Japan was 8.53 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 14.93 micrograms per cubic meter in 2010.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.53 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- Japan ranks 172nd out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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).