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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Australia, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5.1 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 5.2 µg/m³ | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 5.3 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 5.6 µg/m³ | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 6.1 µg/m³ | +8.9% |
| 2003 | 6.8 µg/m³ | +11.5% |
| 2004 | 5.2 µg/m³ | -23.5% |
| 2005 | 5 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 6.1 µg/m³ | +22.0% |
| 2007 | 5.2 µg/m³ | -14.8% |
| 2008 | 4.8 µg/m³ | -7.7% |
| 2009 | 6.2 µg/m³ | +29.2% |
| 2010 | 4.8 µg/m³ | -22.6% |
| 2011 | 5 µg/m³ | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 5.2 µg/m³ | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 5.7 µg/m³ | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 6 µg/m³ | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 5.8 µg/m³ | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 5.7 µg/m³ | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 5.8 µg/m³ | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 5.9 µg/m³ | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 9 µg/m³ | +52.5% |
| 2020 | 6.7 µg/m³ | -25.6% |
| 2021 | 5.3 µg/m³ | -20.9% |
| 2022 | 5.1 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 5.5 µg/m³ | +7.8% |
| 2024 | 5.4 µg/m³ | -1.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 5.4 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 52% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 5.4 µg/m³ is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.9 µg/m³, 61% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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.