Exposure to outdoor air pollution in India
India: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 44.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in India, 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
India recorded 44.2 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
The figure is down 6.2% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in India peaked at 59.8 µg/m³ in 2016 and was at its lowest, 31.3 µg/m³, in 1998.
That places India 12th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 31.65 µg/m³ | 31.3 µg/m³ | 32 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 43.22 µg/m³ | 36.6 µg/m³ | 50.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.16 µg/m³ | 49.6 µg/m³ | 59.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.02 µg/m³ | 44.2 µg/m³ | 52 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More environment data for India
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 4,371 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 3.01 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 572.27 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 37.74 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 108.11 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 4.39 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 861.61 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 1.01 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 2.4 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 135.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in India?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in India was 44.2 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 59.8 µg/m³ in 2016.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.3 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does India rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- India ranks 12th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.