Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iran
Iran: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 37.7 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
37.7
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
23rd
of 241 countries
All-time high
39.8
in 2009
All-time low
27.4
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iran, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in Iran is 37.7, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Iran peaked at 39.8 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 27.4, in 1998.
That places Iran 23rd 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 27.4 | — |
| 1999 | 28.5 | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 35.1 | +23.2% |
| 2001 | 35.2 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 35 | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 36.5 | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 35.7 | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 35.2 | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 36.1 | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 37 | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 38.8 | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 39.8 | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 39.6 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 39.3 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 37.1 | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 36.3 | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 36.1 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 36.1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 35.3 | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 36 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 36.7 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 35.8 | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 34.8 | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 35.6 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 37.6 | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 37.1 | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 37.7 | +1.6% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 37.7 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15, 2.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iran's 37.7 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.95 | 27.4 | 28.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.44 | 35 | 39.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.83 | 35.3 | 39.6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.56 | 34.8 | 37.7 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More environment data for Iran
- 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 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.319 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -30.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -21.27 Percentage change (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 18.17 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.4 % 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 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Iran?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iran was 37.7 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 39.8 in 2009.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.4 in 1998.
- How does Iran rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Iran ranks 23rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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).