Outdoor air pollution exposure in Ireland
Ireland: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 7.4 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
7.4
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
190th
of 241 countries
All-time high
10
in 2003
All-time low
6.9
in 2017
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Ireland, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 7.4 for outdoor air pollution exposure in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Ireland peaked at 10 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 6.9, in 2017.
Ireland ranks 190th of 241 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9.1 | — |
| 1999 | 8.5 | -6.6% |
| 2000 | 8.8 | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 8.8 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8.7 | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 10 | +14.9% |
| 2004 | 7.4 | -26.0% |
| 2005 | 7.8 | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 7.9 | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 8.3 | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 8.1 | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 8.7 | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 8.9 | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 8.3 | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 7.4 | -10.8% |
| 2013 | 8.8 | +18.9% |
| 2014 | 7.8 | -11.4% |
| 2015 | 7.7 | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 7.6 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 6.9 | -9.2% |
| 2018 | 7.5 | +8.7% |
| 2019 | 8.6 | +14.7% |
| 2020 | 7.3 | -15.1% |
| 2021 | 7.7 | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 7.5 | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 7.3 | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 7.4 | +1.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 7.4 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 72% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 7.4 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8, 58% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.8 | 8.5 | 9.1 | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.45 | 7.4 | 10 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.95 | 6.9 | 8.9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.44 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 187 Antigua and Barbuda 7.8 compare
- 188 Montserrat 7.6 compare
- 189 United States 7.5 compare
- 190 Guernsey 7.4 compare
- 192 Puerto Rico 7.3 compare
- 193 Canada 7 compare
- 193 New Zealand 7 compare
- 193 Solomon Islands 7 compare
More environment data for Ireland
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate -1.33 % 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 0.6838 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 55.17 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Ireland?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Ireland was 7.4 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 10 in 2003.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9 in 2017.
- How does Ireland rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Ireland ranks 190th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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).