Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iceland
Iceland: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 4.6 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iceland, 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
The most recent figure for exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iceland is 4.6 µg/m³, 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, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iceland peaked at 5.1 µg/m³ in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.7 µg/m³, 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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iceland, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3.9 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 3.9 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4.1 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 4 µg/m³ | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 4.3 µg/m³ | +7.5% |
| 2003 | 4.4 µg/m³ | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 4.7 µg/m³ | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 4 µg/m³ | -14.9% |
| 2006 | 4.3 µg/m³ | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 4.1 µg/m³ | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 4.2 µg/m³ | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 4.4 µg/m³ | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 4.6 µg/m³ | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 4.4 µg/m³ | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 3.9 µg/m³ | -11.4% |
| 2013 | 4.1 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 4.4 µg/m³ | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 4.1 µg/m³ | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 4 µg/m³ | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 4.6 µg/m³ | +15.0% |
| 2018 | 4 µg/m³ | -13.0% |
| 2019 | 4.6 µg/m³ | +15.0% |
| 2020 | 3.7 µg/m³ | -19.6% |
| 2021 | 5.1 µg/m³ | +37.8% |
| 2022 | 4.1 µg/m³ | -19.6% |
| 2023 | 5.1 µg/m³ | +24.4% |
| 2024 | 4.6 µg/m³ | -9.8% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 4.6 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 45% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 4.6 µg/m³ is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 36% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.9 µg/m³ | 3.9 µg/m³ | 3.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.25 µg/m³ | 4 µg/m³ | 4.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.27 µg/m³ | 3.9 µg/m³ | 4.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.52 µg/m³ | 3.7 µg/m³ | 5.1 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 213 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 5.1 µg/m³ compare
- 214 Reunion 5 µg/m³ compare
- 215 New Caledonia 4.9 µg/m³ compare
- 217 Tuvalu 4.5 µg/m³ compare
- 218 Aland Islands 4.3 µg/m³ compare
- 219 Saint Helena 4.1 µg/m³ compare
- 219 Samoa 4.1 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Iceland
- 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)
- 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)
- 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 -1.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iceland?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iceland was 4.6 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1 µg/m³ in 2021.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Iceland rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Iceland ranks 216th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution 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 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.