Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Denmark

Denmark: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 9 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
9 µg/m³
Change on year
up 20.0%
World rank
178th
of 241 countries
All-time high
13.6 µg/m³
in 2003
All-time low
7.4 µg/m³
in 2020
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Denmark, 1998–2024

0510151998201120241998: 13.5 µg/m³1999: 13.3 µg/m³2000: 13.2 µg/m³2001: 11.7 µg/m³2002: 12.6 µg/m³2003: 13.6 µg/m³2004: 10.4 µg/m³2005: 10.8 µg/m³2006: 11.7 µg/m³2007: 10.9 µg/m³2008: 10.6 µg/m³2009: 11.8 µg/m³2010: 11.5 µg/m³2011: 13.4 µg/m³2012: 9.8 µg/m³2013: 9.6 µg/m³2014: 11.2 µg/m³2015: 9.5 µg/m³2016: 8.8 µg/m³2017: 8.6 µg/m³2018: 10.7 µg/m³2019: 9.3 µg/m³2020: 7.4 µg/m³2021: 7.8 µg/m³2022: 7.8 µg/m³2023: 7.5 µg/m³2024: 9 µg/m³

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 176 Dominica 9.1 µg/m³ compare
  2. 176 Germany 9.1 µg/m³ compare
  3. 178 Switzerland 9 µg/m³ compare
  4. 180 Brunei 8.9 µg/m³ compare
  5. 180 France 8.9 µg/m³ compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

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

Indicator
Exposure to outdoor air pollution
Unit
µg/m³
Source
SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
241 places, 6,507 data points, 1998–2024
Last refreshed

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.