Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ireland
Ireland: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 7.4 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ireland, 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
Ireland recorded 7.4 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution 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, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ireland peaked at 10 µg/m³ in 2003 and was at its lowest, 6.9 µg/m³, 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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ireland, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9.1 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 8.5 µg/m³ | -6.6% |
| 2000 | 8.8 µg/m³ | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 8.8 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8.7 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 10 µg/m³ | +14.9% |
| 2004 | 7.4 µg/m³ | -26.0% |
| 2005 | 7.8 µg/m³ | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 7.9 µg/m³ | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 8.3 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 8.1 µg/m³ | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 8.7 µg/m³ | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 8.9 µg/m³ | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 8.3 µg/m³ | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 7.4 µg/m³ | -10.8% |
| 2013 | 8.8 µg/m³ | +18.9% |
| 2014 | 7.8 µg/m³ | -11.4% |
| 2015 | 7.7 µg/m³ | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 7.6 µg/m³ | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 6.9 µg/m³ | -9.2% |
| 2018 | 7.5 µg/m³ | +8.7% |
| 2019 | 8.6 µg/m³ | +14.7% |
| 2020 | 7.3 µg/m³ | -15.1% |
| 2021 | 7.7 µg/m³ | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 7.5 µg/m³ | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 7.3 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 7.4 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 7.4 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 72% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 7.4 µg/m³ is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 58% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.8 µg/m³ | 8.5 µg/m³ | 9.1 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.45 µg/m³ | 7.4 µg/m³ | 10 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.95 µg/m³ | 6.9 µg/m³ | 8.9 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.44 µg/m³ | 7.3 µg/m³ | 7.7 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 187 Antigua and Barbuda 7.8 µg/m³ compare
- 188 Montserrat 7.6 µg/m³ compare
- 189 United States 7.5 µg/m³ compare
- 190 Guernsey 7.4 µg/m³ compare
- 192 Puerto Rico 7.3 µg/m³ compare
- 193 Canada 7 µg/m³ compare
- 193 New Zealand 7 µg/m³ compare
- 193 Solomon Islands 7 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Ireland
- 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)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % 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 Ireland?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Ireland was 7.4 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 10 µg/m³ in 2003.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9 µg/m³ in 2017.
- How does Ireland rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Ireland ranks 190th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution 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 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.