Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Australia
Australia: Exposure to air pollution from human sources was 3.89 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Australia, 1998–2024
Source: Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
In 2024, exposure to air pollution from human sources in Australia stood at 3.89 micrograms per cubic meter.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to air pollution from human sources in Australia peaked at 7.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.25 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2008.
Australia ranks 192nd of 240 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Australia, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3.63 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 1999 | 3.75 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 3.75 micrograms per cubic meter | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4.13 micrograms per cubic meter | +10.1% |
| 2002 | 4.44 micrograms per cubic meter | +7.5% |
| 2003 | 5.1 micrograms per cubic meter | +14.9% |
| 2004 | 3.7 micrograms per cubic meter | -27.5% |
| 2005 | 3.43 micrograms per cubic meter | -7.3% |
| 2006 | 4.61 micrograms per cubic meter | +34.4% |
| 2007 | 3.7 micrograms per cubic meter | -19.7% |
| 2008 | 3.25 micrograms per cubic meter | -12.2% |
| 2009 | 4.65 micrograms per cubic meter | +43.1% |
| 2010 | 3.43 micrograms per cubic meter | -26.2% |
| 2011 | 3.51 micrograms per cubic meter | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 3.63 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 4.12 micrograms per cubic meter | +13.5% |
| 2014 | 4.4 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.8% |
| 2015 | 4.1 micrograms per cubic meter | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 3.93 micrograms per cubic meter | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 4.19 micrograms per cubic meter | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 4.08 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 7.3 micrograms per cubic meter | +78.9% |
| 2020 | 4.84 micrograms per cubic meter | -33.7% |
| 2021 | 3.65 micrograms per cubic meter | -24.6% |
| 2022 | 3.55 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 3.99 micrograms per cubic meter | +12.4% |
| 2024 | 3.89 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 3.89 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.08 micrograms per cubic meter, 48% of the median. (83 countries reporting)
- Australia's 3.89 micrograms per cubic meter is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.49 micrograms per cubic meter, 71% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +78.9% | 4.08 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.3 micrograms per cubic meter |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.69 micrograms per cubic meter | 3.63 micrograms per cubic meter | 3.75 micrograms per cubic meter | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.08 micrograms per cubic meter | 3.25 micrograms per cubic meter | 5.1 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.27 micrograms per cubic meter | 3.43 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.3 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.98 micrograms per cubic meter | 3.55 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.84 micrograms per cubic meter | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 189 New Zealand 3.97 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 189 Vanuatu 3.97 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 191 Bahamas 3.91 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 192 Guadeloupe 3.89 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 194 Aland Islands 3.85 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 195 Seychelles 3.83 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0861 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to air pollution from human sources in Australia?
- Exposure to air pollution from human sources in Australia was 3.89 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024, according to Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to air pollution from human sources recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2019.
- What is the lowest exposure to air pollution from human sources recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.25 micrograms per cubic meter in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for exposure to air pollution from human sources?
- Australia ranks 192nd out of 240 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to air pollution from human sources rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to air pollution from human sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual population-weighted average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air, measured in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, which can pose significant health risks. This data excludes natural sources of PM2.5, such as dust and sea salt, to focus on human-caused pollution.