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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in India, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 31.3 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 32 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 36.6 µg/m³ | +14.4% |
| 2001 | 39.1 µg/m³ | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 39.5 µg/m³ | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 42.1 µg/m³ | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 42.6 µg/m³ | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 42.2 µg/m³ | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 44.3 µg/m³ | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 46.1 µg/m³ | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 50.2 µg/m³ | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 49.5 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 49.6 µg/m³ | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 53.1 µg/m³ | +7.1% |
| 2012 | 51.2 µg/m³ | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 51.8 µg/m³ | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 51.2 µg/m³ | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 56.4 µg/m³ | +10.2% |
| 2016 | 59.8 µg/m³ | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 58.3 µg/m³ | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 56.9 µg/m³ | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 53.3 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2020 | 48.1 µg/m³ | -9.8% |
| 2021 | 52 µg/m³ | +8.1% |
| 2022 | 48.7 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 47.1 µg/m³ | -3.3% |
| 2024 | 44.2 µg/m³ | -6.2% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 44.2 µg/m³ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7 µg/m³, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 44.2 µg/m³ is above the median for South Asia, which is 32.7 µg/m³, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 11.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.92 % 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 1.12 % 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 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.