Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iceland
Iceland: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 4.6 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.6
Change on year
down 9.8%
World rank
216th
of 241 countries
All-time high
5.1
in 2021
All-time low
3.7
in 2020
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iceland, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in Iceland is 4.6, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 9.8% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Iceland peaked at 5.1 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.7, in 2020.
That places Iceland 216th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3.9 | — |
| 1999 | 3.9 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4.1 | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 4 | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 4.3 | +7.5% |
| 2003 | 4.4 | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 4.7 | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 4 | -14.9% |
| 2006 | 4.3 | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 4.1 | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 4.2 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 4.4 | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 4.6 | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 4.4 | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 3.9 | -11.4% |
| 2013 | 4.1 | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 4.4 | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 4.1 | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 4 | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 4.6 | +15.0% |
| 2018 | 4 | -13.0% |
| 2019 | 4.6 | +15.0% |
| 2020 | 3.7 | -19.6% |
| 2021 | 5.1 | +37.8% |
| 2022 | 4.1 | -19.6% |
| 2023 | 5.1 | +24.4% |
| 2024 | 4.6 | -9.8% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 4.6 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 45% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 4.6 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8, 36% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.25 | 4 | 4.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.27 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.52 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 213 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 5.1 compare
- 214 Reunion 5 compare
- 215 New Caledonia 4.9 compare
- 217 Tuvalu 4.5 compare
- 218 Aland Islands 4.3 compare
- 219 Saint Helena 4.1 compare
- 219 Samoa 4.1 compare
More environment data for Iceland
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % 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 4.46 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 17.37 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8549 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Iceland?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iceland was 4.6 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1 in 2021.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7 in 2020.
- How does Iceland rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Iceland ranks 216th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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).