Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Austria
Austria: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 10.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Austria, 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
Austria recorded 10.3 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
That represents a change of up 8.4% on the previous year and down 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Austria peaked at 19.6 µg/m³ in 2006 and was at its lowest, 9.5 µg/m³, in 2023.
That places Austria 166th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Austria, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 16.5 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 16.5 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 16.1 µg/m³ | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 16.4 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 18.3 µg/m³ | +11.6% |
| 2003 | 18.1 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 16.3 µg/m³ | -9.9% |
| 2005 | 18.8 µg/m³ | +15.3% |
| 2006 | 19.6 µg/m³ | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 14.6 µg/m³ | -25.5% |
| 2008 | 14.7 µg/m³ | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 15.6 µg/m³ | +6.1% |
| 2010 | 16.3 µg/m³ | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 16.8 µg/m³ | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 14.6 µg/m³ | -13.1% |
| 2013 | 15.7 µg/m³ | +7.5% |
| 2014 | 13.8 µg/m³ | -12.1% |
| 2015 | 13.7 µg/m³ | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 13 µg/m³ | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 13 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 14.1 µg/m³ | +8.5% |
| 2019 | 11.3 µg/m³ | -19.9% |
| 2020 | 10.2 µg/m³ | -9.7% |
| 2021 | 10.6 µg/m³ | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 10.3 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 9.5 µg/m³ | -7.8% |
| 2024 | 10.3 µg/m³ | +8.4% |
Austria compared with similar countries
- Austria's 10.3 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Austria's 10.3 µg/m³ is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 80% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.5 µg/m³ | 16.5 µg/m³ | 16.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.85 µg/m³ | 14.6 µg/m³ | 19.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.23 µg/m³ | 11.3 µg/m³ | 16.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.18 µg/m³ | 9.5 µg/m³ | 10.6 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Austria
- 164 Liechtenstein 10.4 µg/m³ compare
- 164 Saint Lucia 10.4 µg/m³ compare
- 167 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10.2 µg/m³ compare
- 168 Spain 10 µg/m³ compare
- 169 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 9.9 µg/m³ compare
- 169 Cuba 9.9 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Austria
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.529 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.17 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.833 % 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 0.0096 % 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 Austria?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Austria was 10.3 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 Austria?
- The highest recorded value was 19.6 µg/m³ in 2006.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Austria?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.5 µg/m³ in 2023.
- How does Austria rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Austria ranks 166th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Austria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Austria 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.