Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 24.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 2010–2023
Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
In 2023, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of stood at 24.95 micrograms per cubic meter.
That represents a change of up 4.9% on the previous year and down 50.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 50.02 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 and was at its lowest, 23.78 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2022.
That places Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 58th out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 47.46 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 48.26 micrograms per cubic meter | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 45.15 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.4% |
| 2013 | 50.02 micrograms per cubic meter | +10.8% |
| 2014 | 45.2 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 41.16 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.9% |
| 2016 | 37.37 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.2% |
| 2017 | 36.27 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 31.03 micrograms per cubic meter | -14.4% |
| 2019 | 29.51 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 26.57 micrograms per cubic meter | -10.0% |
| 2021 | 25.69 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 23.78 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.4% |
| 2023 | 24.95 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 41.14 micrograms per cubic meter | 29.51 micrograms per cubic meter | 50.02 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.25 micrograms per cubic meter | 23.78 micrograms per cubic meter | 26.57 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- 55 Thailand 25.09 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 56 El Salvador 25.03 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 57 Eritrea 25.01 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 59 Bosnia and Herzegovina 24.51 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 60 Libya 24.46 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 61 Guatemala 24.45 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Industrial Processes 2.99 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Industrial Processes 0.4133 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 1.69 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0506 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 32.79 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Building (Energy) 11.68 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.2589 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0256 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 24.95 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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 50.02 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.78 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 58th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 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.
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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).