Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Belarus
Belarus: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 12.9 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Belarus, 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
Belarus recorded 12.9 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and down 27.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Belarus peaked at 21.8 µg/m³ in 2002 and was at its lowest, 11.3 µg/m³, in 2022.
That places Belarus 137th 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 Belarus, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 19 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 19.6 µg/m³ | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 18 µg/m³ | -8.2% |
| 2001 | 18 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 21.8 µg/m³ | +21.1% |
| 2003 | 17.3 µg/m³ | -20.6% |
| 2004 | 17.6 µg/m³ | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 18 µg/m³ | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 17.9 µg/m³ | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 17 µg/m³ | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 17.9 µg/m³ | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 19.5 µg/m³ | +8.9% |
| 2010 | 21.3 µg/m³ | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 18.5 µg/m³ | -13.1% |
| 2012 | 16.6 µg/m³ | -10.3% |
| 2013 | 15.7 µg/m³ | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 17.8 µg/m³ | +13.4% |
| 2015 | 15 µg/m³ | -15.7% |
| 2016 | 13.2 µg/m³ | -12.0% |
| 2017 | 13.5 µg/m³ | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 13.4 µg/m³ | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 12.8 µg/m³ | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 12 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 12.8 µg/m³ | +6.7% |
| 2022 | 11.3 µg/m³ | -11.7% |
| 2023 | 12.3 µg/m³ | +8.8% |
| 2024 | 12.9 µg/m³ | +4.9% |
Belarus compared with similar countries
- Belarus's 12.9 µg/m³ is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 75% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Belarus's 12.9 µg/m³ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.3 µg/m³ | 19 µg/m³ | 19.6 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 18.3 µg/m³ | 17 µg/m³ | 21.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.78 µg/m³ | 12.8 µg/m³ | 21.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.26 µg/m³ | 11.3 µg/m³ | 12.9 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belarus
More environment data for Belarus
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.1734 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.1993 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.869 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.57 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6422 % 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 0.239 % 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 Belarus?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Belarus was 12.9 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 Belarus?
- The highest recorded value was 21.8 µg/m³ in 2002.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Belarus?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3 µg/m³ in 2022.
- How does Belarus rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Belarus ranks 137th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Belarus?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belarus 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.