Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Albania
Albania: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 16.9 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Albania, 1998–2024
Source: SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in µg/m³.
Analysis
Albania recorded 16.9 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
The figure is up 7.6% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Albania peaked at 21.6 µg/m³ in 2011 and was at its lowest, 14.5 µg/m³, in 2021.
Albania ranks 105th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Albania, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 18.7 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 17.9 µg/m³ | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 19.9 µg/m³ | +11.2% |
| 2001 | 18.6 µg/m³ | -6.5% |
| 2002 | 19.4 µg/m³ | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 20.8 µg/m³ | +7.2% |
| 2004 | 19.1 µg/m³ | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 18.5 µg/m³ | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 19.9 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
| 2007 | 20.5 µg/m³ | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 19.1 µg/m³ | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 18.5 µg/m³ | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 18 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 21.6 µg/m³ | +20.0% |
| 2012 | 18.2 µg/m³ | -15.7% |
| 2013 | 17.3 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 16.5 µg/m³ | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 18.6 µg/m³ | +12.7% |
| 2016 | 16.4 µg/m³ | -11.8% |
| 2017 | 17.6 µg/m³ | +7.3% |
| 2018 | 17.3 µg/m³ | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 16.4 µg/m³ | -5.2% |
| 2020 | 15.6 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 14.5 µg/m³ | -7.1% |
| 2022 | 15.6 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
| 2023 | 15.7 µg/m³ | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 16.9 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
Albania compared with similar countries
- Albania's 16.9 µg/m³ is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 99% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Albania's 16.9 µg/m³ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.3 µg/m³ | 17.9 µg/m³ | 18.7 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.43 µg/m³ | 18.5 µg/m³ | 20.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.79 µg/m³ | 16.4 µg/m³ | 21.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.66 µg/m³ | 14.5 µg/m³ | 16.9 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Albania
- 102 Cape Verde 17 µg/m³ compare
- 102 Kyrgyzstan 17 µg/m³ compare
- 102 Mozambique 17 µg/m³ compare
- 106 Botswana 16.7 µg/m³ compare
- 107 Cyprus 16.6 µg/m³ compare
- 107 Taiwan 16.6 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Albania
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.6356 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.8208 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.434 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.15 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.89 % 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 -11.58 % 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 outdoor air pollution in Albania?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Albania was 16.9 µg/m³ in 2024, according to SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Albania?
- The highest recorded value was 21.6 µg/m³ in 2011.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Albania?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5 µg/m³ in 2021.
- How does Albania rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Albania ranks 105th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Albania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Albania data come from?
- The figures come from SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to outdoor air pollution. 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.