Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bahrain
Bahrain: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 48.1 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bahrain, 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 Bahrain stood at 48.1 µg/m³.
That represents a change of down 4.4% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bahrain peaked at 59.8 µg/m³ in 2018 and was at its lowest, 44.3 µg/m³, in 1998.
Bahrain ranks 10th of 241 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bahrain, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 44.3 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 49.3 µg/m³ | +11.3% |
| 2000 | 50.9 µg/m³ | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 48 µg/m³ | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 46.2 µg/m³ | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 54.2 µg/m³ | +17.3% |
| 2004 | 48.4 µg/m³ | -10.7% |
| 2005 | 48.2 µg/m³ | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 48.9 µg/m³ | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 48.4 µg/m³ | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 51.8 µg/m³ | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 55.4 µg/m³ | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 53.3 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 50.7 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 52.2 µg/m³ | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 50.2 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 47.9 µg/m³ | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 54 µg/m³ | +12.7% |
| 2016 | 51 µg/m³ | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 55.6 µg/m³ | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 59.8 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 54.2 µg/m³ | -9.4% |
| 2020 | 48.8 µg/m³ | -10.0% |
| 2021 | 53.1 µg/m³ | +8.8% |
| 2022 | 59.5 µg/m³ | +12.1% |
| 2023 | 50.3 µg/m³ | -15.5% |
| 2024 | 48.1 µg/m³ | -4.4% |
Bahrain compared with similar countries
- Bahrain's 48.1 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 4.7× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Bahrain's 48.1 µg/m³ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1 µg/m³, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.8 µg/m³ | 44.3 µg/m³ | 49.3 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 50.04 µg/m³ | 46.2 µg/m³ | 55.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.89 µg/m³ | 47.9 µg/m³ | 59.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.96 µg/m³ | 48.1 µg/m³ | 59.5 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bahrain
More environment data for Bahrain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -43.7 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.397 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.82 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.7396 % 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 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bahrain?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bahrain was 48.1 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 Bahrain?
- The highest recorded value was 59.8 µg/m³ in 2018.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Bahrain?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.3 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Bahrain rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Bahrain ranks 10th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Bahrain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bahrain 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.