Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Greece
Greece: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 15.1 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Greece, 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 Greece stood at 15.1 µg/m³.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Greece peaked at 20.3 µg/m³ in 2007 and was at its lowest, 13.7 µg/m³, in 2020.
That places Greece 118th 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 Greece, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 17.4 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 16.9 µg/m³ | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 18.6 µg/m³ | +10.1% |
| 2001 | 18.1 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 18.8 µg/m³ | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 18.8 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 17.2 µg/m³ | -8.5% |
| 2005 | 18.7 µg/m³ | +8.7% |
| 2006 | 18.6 µg/m³ | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 20.3 µg/m³ | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 20.1 µg/m³ | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 18 µg/m³ | -10.4% |
| 2010 | 16.8 µg/m³ | -6.7% |
| 2011 | 18.9 µg/m³ | +12.5% |
| 2012 | 17.4 µg/m³ | -7.9% |
| 2013 | 15.6 µg/m³ | -10.3% |
| 2014 | 16.3 µg/m³ | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 16.4 µg/m³ | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 15.4 µg/m³ | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 15.3 µg/m³ | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 15.3 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 15.2 µg/m³ | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 13.7 µg/m³ | -9.9% |
| 2021 | 14.7 µg/m³ | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 15.3 µg/m³ | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 15.7 µg/m³ | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 15.1 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
Greece compared with similar countries
- Greece's 15.1 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 1.5× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Greece's 15.1 µg/m³ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 1.2× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.15 µg/m³ | 16.9 µg/m³ | 17.4 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 18.72 µg/m³ | 17.2 µg/m³ | 20.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.26 µg/m³ | 15.2 µg/m³ | 18.9 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.9 µg/m³ | 13.7 µg/m³ | 15.7 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Greece
More environment data for Greece
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 3.43 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.43 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.95 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.28 % 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 -1.16 % 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 Greece?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Greece was 15.1 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 Greece?
- The highest recorded value was 20.3 µg/m³ in 2007.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Greece?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.7 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Greece rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Greece ranks 118th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Greece?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Greece 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.