Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Finland
Finland: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 5.4 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Finland, 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 Finland stood at 5.4 µg/m³.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and down 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Finland peaked at 8.9 µg/m³ in 2006 and was at its lowest, 4.8 µg/m³, in 2020.
That places Finland 210th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Finland, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7.6 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 7.9 µg/m³ | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 7.1 µg/m³ | -10.1% |
| 2001 | 7.4 µg/m³ | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 7.3 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 7.7 µg/m³ | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 7.5 µg/m³ | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 7.4 µg/m³ | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 8.9 µg/m³ | +20.3% |
| 2007 | 7.9 µg/m³ | -11.2% |
| 2008 | 7 µg/m³ | -11.4% |
| 2009 | 7.2 µg/m³ | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 8 µg/m³ | +11.1% |
| 2011 | 7.2 µg/m³ | -10.0% |
| 2012 | 7.1 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 6.6 µg/m³ | -7.0% |
| 2014 | 7.4 µg/m³ | +12.1% |
| 2015 | 6.1 µg/m³ | -17.6% |
| 2016 | 5.7 µg/m³ | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 5 µg/m³ | -12.3% |
| 2018 | 6.3 µg/m³ | +26.0% |
| 2019 | 5.3 µg/m³ | -15.9% |
| 2020 | 4.8 µg/m³ | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 5.2 µg/m³ | +8.3% |
| 2022 | 4.9 µg/m³ | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 5.2 µg/m³ | +6.1% |
| 2024 | 5.4 µg/m³ | +3.8% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 5.4 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 52% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Finland's 5.4 µg/m³ is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 42% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.75 µg/m³ | 7.6 µg/m³ | 7.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.54 µg/m³ | 7 µg/m³ | 8.9 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.47 µg/m³ | 5 µg/m³ | 8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.1 µg/m³ | 4.8 µg/m³ | 5.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More environment data for Finland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 4.25 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.986 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.94 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -2.4 % 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 0.3579 % 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 Finland?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Finland was 5.4 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 Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 8.9 µg/m³ in 2006.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Finland rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Finland ranks 210th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Finland 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.