Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Denmark
Denmark: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 9 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Denmark, 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
Denmark recorded 9 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
The figure is up 20.0% on the previous year and down 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Denmark peaked at 13.6 µg/m³ in 2003 and was at its lowest, 7.4 µg/m³, in 2020.
That places Denmark 178th 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 Denmark, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 13.5 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 13.3 µg/m³ | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 13.2 µg/m³ | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 11.7 µg/m³ | -11.4% |
| 2002 | 12.6 µg/m³ | +7.7% |
| 2003 | 13.6 µg/m³ | +7.9% |
| 2004 | 10.4 µg/m³ | -23.5% |
| 2005 | 10.8 µg/m³ | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 11.7 µg/m³ | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 10.9 µg/m³ | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 10.6 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 11.8 µg/m³ | +11.3% |
| 2010 | 11.5 µg/m³ | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 13.4 µg/m³ | +16.5% |
| 2012 | 9.8 µg/m³ | -26.9% |
| 2013 | 9.6 µg/m³ | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 11.2 µg/m³ | +16.7% |
| 2015 | 9.5 µg/m³ | -15.2% |
| 2016 | 8.8 µg/m³ | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 8.6 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 10.7 µg/m³ | +24.4% |
| 2019 | 9.3 µg/m³ | -13.1% |
| 2020 | 7.4 µg/m³ | -20.4% |
| 2021 | 7.8 µg/m³ | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 7.8 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7.5 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 9 µg/m³ | +20.0% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 9 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 87% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 9 µg/m³ is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 70% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.4 µg/m³ | 13.3 µg/m³ | 13.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.73 µg/m³ | 10.4 µg/m³ | 13.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.24 µg/m³ | 8.6 µg/m³ | 13.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.9 µg/m³ | 7.4 µg/m³ | 9 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More environment data for Denmark
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.66 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.696 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.29 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.75 % 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 0.0189 % 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 Denmark?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Denmark was 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 Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 13.6 µg/m³ in 2003.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Denmark rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Denmark ranks 178th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Denmark 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.