Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Hungary
Hungary: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 13.4 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Hungary, 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
Hungary recorded 13.4 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.9% on the previous year and down 31.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Hungary peaked at 27.3 µg/m³ in 2003 and was at its lowest, 12.3 µg/m³, in 2023.
That places Hungary 134th 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 Hungary, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 26 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 25.7 µg/m³ | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 24.3 µg/m³ | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 26 µg/m³ | +7.0% |
| 2002 | 27.2 µg/m³ | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 27.3 µg/m³ | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 23.6 µg/m³ | -13.6% |
| 2005 | 25 µg/m³ | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 25.9 µg/m³ | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 19.2 µg/m³ | -25.9% |
| 2008 | 20.5 µg/m³ | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 21.7 µg/m³ | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 20.9 µg/m³ | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 25 µg/m³ | +19.6% |
| 2012 | 21.9 µg/m³ | -12.4% |
| 2013 | 20.3 µg/m³ | -7.3% |
| 2014 | 19.5 µg/m³ | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 20.1 µg/m³ | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 18.3 µg/m³ | -9.0% |
| 2017 | 20.2 µg/m³ | +10.4% |
| 2018 | 19.8 µg/m³ | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 15.5 µg/m³ | -21.7% |
| 2020 | 14.1 µg/m³ | -9.0% |
| 2021 | 15.2 µg/m³ | +7.8% |
| 2022 | 14.6 µg/m³ | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 12.3 µg/m³ | -15.8% |
| 2024 | 13.4 µg/m³ | +8.9% |
Hungary compared with similar countries
- Hungary's 13.4 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Hungary's 13.4 µg/m³ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.85 µg/m³ | 25.7 µg/m³ | 26 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 24.07 µg/m³ | 19.2 µg/m³ | 27.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.15 µg/m³ | 15.5 µg/m³ | 25 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.92 µg/m³ | 12.3 µg/m³ | 15.2 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Hungary
More environment data for Hungary
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.55 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.61 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.63 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.01 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.8159 % 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 -0.4968 % 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 Hungary?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Hungary was 13.4 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 Hungary?
- The highest recorded value was 27.3 µg/m³ in 2003.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Hungary?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.3 µg/m³ in 2023.
- How does Hungary rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Hungary ranks 134th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Hungary?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Hungary 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.