Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Germany
Germany: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 9.1 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Germany, 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
Germany recorded 9.1 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution 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, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Germany peaked at 16.5 µg/m³ in 1998 and was at its lowest, 8.5 µg/m³, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.95 µg/m³ | 15.4 µg/m³ | 16.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.96 µg/m³ | 13.5 µg/m³ | 16.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.89 µg/m³ | 10.1 µg/m³ | 15.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.02 µg/m³ | 8.5 µg/m³ | 9.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 173 Netherlands 9.6 µg/m³ compare
- 174 Belgium 9.3 µg/m³ compare
- 176 Dominica 9.1 µg/m³ compare
- 178 Denmark 9 µg/m³ compare
- 178 Switzerland 9 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Germany
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 674.36 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.07 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 33.97 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 2.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 9.52 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.2198 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 55.51 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.3905 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1987 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 8.1 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Germany?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Germany was 9.1 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 16.5 µg/m³ in 1998.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.5 µg/m³ in 2023.
- How does Germany rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Germany ranks 176th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution 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 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.