Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Australia
Australia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 5.4 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Australia, 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
In 2024, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Australia stood at 5.4 µg/m³.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Australia peaked at 9 µg/m³ in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.8 µg/m³, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.15 µg/m³ | 5.1 µg/m³ | 5.2 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.63 µg/m³ | 4.8 µg/m³ | 6.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.89 µg/m³ | 4.8 µg/m³ | 9 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.6 µg/m³ | 5.1 µg/m³ | 6.7 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More environment data for Australia
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 591.45 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 21.75 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 84.7 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.4769 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 43.21 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1578 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 144.58 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.104 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1978 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 15.7 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Australia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Australia was 5.4 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 Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 9 µg/m³ in 2019.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8 µg/m³ in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Australia ranks 210th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution 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 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.