Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iraq
Iraq: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 48.8 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iraq, 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 Iraq is 48.8 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iraq peaked at 57.3 µg/m³ in 2010 and was at its lowest, 32.1 µg/m³, in 1998.
Iraq ranks 9th of 241 countries on this measure, 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 Iraq, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 32.1 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 44.3 µg/m³ | +38.0% |
| 2000 | 47 µg/m³ | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 41.4 µg/m³ | -11.9% |
| 2002 | 42.7 µg/m³ | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 42.1 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 40.9 µg/m³ | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 44.7 µg/m³ | +9.3% |
| 2006 | 47.9 µg/m³ | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 46.8 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 54.8 µg/m³ | +17.1% |
| 2009 | 55.1 µg/m³ | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 57.3 µg/m³ | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 52.7 µg/m³ | -8.0% |
| 2012 | 51.9 µg/m³ | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 48.7 µg/m³ | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 46 µg/m³ | -5.5% |
| 2015 | 47.9 µg/m³ | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 46.1 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 46.5 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 49.3 µg/m³ | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 43.4 µg/m³ | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 45.3 µg/m³ | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 45.6 µg/m³ | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 55.7 µg/m³ | +22.1% |
| 2023 | 50.1 µg/m³ | -10.1% |
| 2024 | 48.8 µg/m³ | -2.6% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 48.8 µg/m³ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 2.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 48.8 µg/m³ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1 µg/m³, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 38.2 µg/m³ | 32.1 µg/m³ | 44.3 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 46.34 µg/m³ | 40.9 µg/m³ | 55.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.98 µg/m³ | 43.4 µg/m³ | 57.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.1 µg/m³ | 45.3 µg/m³ | 55.7 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More environment data for Iraq
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -38.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -26.27 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.549 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.99 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2 % 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 6.65 % 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 Iraq?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Iraq was 48.8 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 Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 57.3 µg/m³ in 2010.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.1 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Iraq rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Iraq ranks 9th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq 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.