Outdoor air pollution exposure in Australia
Australia: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 5.4 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5.4
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
210th
of 241 countries
All-time high
9
in 2019
All-time low
4.8
in 2008
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Australia, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, outdoor air pollution exposure in Australia stood at 5.4.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Australia peaked at 9 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.8, in 2008.
Australia ranks 210th of 241 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5.1 | — |
| 1999 | 5.2 | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 5.3 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 5.6 | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 6.1 | +8.9% |
| 2003 | 6.8 | +11.5% |
| 2004 | 5.2 | -23.5% |
| 2005 | 5 | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 6.1 | +22.0% |
| 2007 | 5.2 | -14.8% |
| 2008 | 4.8 | -7.7% |
| 2009 | 6.2 | +29.2% |
| 2010 | 4.8 | -22.6% |
| 2011 | 5 | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 5.2 | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 5.7 | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 6 | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 5.8 | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 5.7 | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 5.8 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 5.9 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 9 | +52.5% |
| 2020 | 6.7 | -25.6% |
| 2021 | 5.3 | -20.9% |
| 2022 | 5.1 | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 5.5 | +7.8% |
| 2024 | 5.4 | -1.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 5.4 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 52% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 5.4 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.9, 61% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.15 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.63 | 4.8 | 6.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.89 | 4.8 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.6 | 5.1 | 6.7 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More environment data for Australia
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.2163 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 11.54 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 41.36 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate -5.11 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Australia?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Australia was 5.4 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2019.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8 in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Australia ranks 210th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Outdoor air pollution exposure. 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).