Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 44.98 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▬ Flat
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Saudi Arabia, 2010–2023
Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
The most recent figure for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Saudi Arabia is 44.98 micrograms per cubic meter, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 6.8% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Saudi Arabia peaked at 50.67 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015 and was at its lowest, 44.42 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2020.
That places Saudi Arabia 12th out of 226 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 46.24 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 46.54 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 48.06 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 46.82 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 44.52 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 50.67 micrograms per cubic meter | +13.8% |
| 2016 | 46.11 micrograms per cubic meter | -9.0% |
| 2017 | 47.84 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 47.37 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 46.05 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 44.42 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 47.17 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 48.24 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 44.98 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 47.02 micrograms per cubic meter | 44.52 micrograms per cubic meter | 50.67 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.2 micrograms per cubic meter | 44.42 micrograms per cubic meter | 48.24 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 9 Nepal 47.81 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 10 Bahrain 46.18 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 11 Mauritania 45.56 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 13 Senegal 44.73 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 14 Bangladesh 43.87 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 15 Ghana 43.26 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.424 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 12.12 % 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 0.0392 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 4.09 % 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 Saudi Arabia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in Saudi Arabia was 44.98 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.67 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.42 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 12th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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).