Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iraq
Iraq: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 48.8 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
48.8
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
9th
of 241 countries
All-time high
57.3
in 2010
All-time low
32.1
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iraq, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in Iraq is 48.8, 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, outdoor air pollution exposure in Iraq peaked at 57.3 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 32.1, 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 32.1 | — |
| 1999 | 44.3 | +38.0% |
| 2000 | 47 | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 41.4 | -11.9% |
| 2002 | 42.7 | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 42.1 | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 40.9 | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 44.7 | +9.3% |
| 2006 | 47.9 | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 46.8 | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 54.8 | +17.1% |
| 2009 | 55.1 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 57.3 | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 52.7 | -8.0% |
| 2012 | 51.9 | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 48.7 | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 46 | -5.5% |
| 2015 | 47.9 | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 46.1 | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 46.5 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 49.3 | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 43.4 | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 45.3 | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 45.6 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 55.7 | +22.1% |
| 2023 | 50.1 | -10.1% |
| 2024 | 48.8 | -2.6% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 48.8 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15, 2.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 48.8 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 38.2 | 32.1 | 44.3 | 2 |
| 2000s | 46.34 | 40.9 | 55.1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.98 | 43.4 | 57.3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.1 | 45.3 | 55.7 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More environment data for Iraq
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.1132 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.0845 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 9.16 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Iraq?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Iraq was 48.8 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 57.3 in 2010.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.1 in 1998.
- How does Iraq rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Iraq ranks 9th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure 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 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).