Outdoor air pollution exposure in Germany
Germany: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 9.1 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
9.1
Change on year
up 7.1%
World rank
176th
of 241 countries
All-time high
16.5
in 1998
All-time low
8.5
in 2023
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Germany, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Germany recorded 9.1 for outdoor air pollution exposure in 2024.
That represents a change of up 7.1% on the previous year and down 32.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Germany peaked at 16.5 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 8.5, in 2023.
That places Germany 176th 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Germany, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 16.5 | — |
| 1999 | 15.4 | -6.7% |
| 2000 | 14.9 | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 14.7 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 15.8 | +7.5% |
| 2003 | 16.3 | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 14.7 | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 14.8 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 16.1 | +8.8% |
| 2007 | 13.5 | -16.1% |
| 2008 | 13.9 | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 14.9 | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 15.5 | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 15.3 | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 13 | -15.0% |
| 2013 | 13.5 | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 13.5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12.1 | -10.4% |
| 2016 | 11.8 | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 11.8 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12.3 | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 10.1 | -17.9% |
| 2020 | 8.8 | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 9.4 | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 9.3 | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 8.5 | -8.6% |
| 2024 | 9.1 | +7.1% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 9.1 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 88% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Germany's 9.1 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8, 71% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.95 | 15.4 | 16.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.96 | 13.5 | 16.3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.89 | 10.1 | 15.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.02 | 8.5 | 9.4 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 173 Netherlands 9.6 compare
- 174 Belgium 9.3 compare
- 174 Guadeloupe 9.3 compare
- 176 Dominica 9.1 compare
- 178 Denmark 9 compare
- 178 Switzerland 9 compare
More environment data for Germany
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0401 % 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 0.0568 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.613 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.11 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 13.56 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate -2.13 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Germany?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Germany was 9.1 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 16.5 in 1998.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.5 in 2023.
- How does Germany rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Germany ranks 176th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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).