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.
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
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 4.28 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 11.08 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 0.2793 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0015 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0001 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 0.4807 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0021 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.194 Mt CO2e (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.