Outdoor air pollution exposure in China
China: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 31.3 in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
31.3
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
39th
of 241 countries
All-time high
52.2
in 2014
All-time low
28.1
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in China, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, outdoor air pollution exposure in China stood at 31.3.
That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and down 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in China peaked at 52.2 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 28.1, in 1999.
China ranks 39th of 241 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 29.4 | — |
| 1999 | 28.1 | -4.4% |
| 2000 | 33.4 | +18.9% |
| 2001 | 34.9 | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 37.2 | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 41.6 | +11.8% |
| 2004 | 40.6 | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 43.5 | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 46.9 | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 47.7 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 46.7 | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 45 | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 44.4 | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 49 | +10.4% |
| 2012 | 45.5 | -7.1% |
| 2013 | 48.1 | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 52.2 | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 49.6 | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 45.4 | -8.5% |
| 2017 | 43 | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 38.3 | -10.9% |
| 2019 | 37 | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 33.2 | -10.3% |
| 2021 | 31.1 | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 31 | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 32.2 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 31.3 | -2.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 31.3 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15, 1.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 31.3 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.9, 3.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.75 | 28.1 | 29.4 | 2 |
| 2000s | 41.75 | 33.4 | 47.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.25 | 37 | 52.2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.76 | 31 | 33.2 | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.2791 hectares per person (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 41.82 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 5.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in China?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in China was 31.3 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 52.2 in 2014.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.1 in 1999.
- How does China rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- China ranks 39th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Outdoor air pollution exposure. 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).