Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Israel
Israel: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 20.4 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Israel, 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
In 2024, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Israel stood at 20.4 µg/m³.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Israel peaked at 22.5 µg/m³ in 2011 and was at its lowest, 16.6 µg/m³, in 1998.
Israel ranks 82nd of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Israel, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 16.6 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 16.6 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 20.2 µg/m³ | +21.7% |
| 2001 | 19.8 µg/m³ | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 18.9 µg/m³ | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 18.8 µg/m³ | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 18.4 µg/m³ | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 17.8 µg/m³ | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 18.7 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 20.3 µg/m³ | +8.6% |
| 2008 | 19.6 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 21.2 µg/m³ | +8.2% |
| 2010 | 21.6 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 22.5 µg/m³ | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 21.5 µg/m³ | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 20.8 µg/m³ | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 20 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 21.9 µg/m³ | +9.5% |
| 2016 | 18.2 µg/m³ | -16.9% |
| 2017 | 18.8 µg/m³ | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 18.6 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 18.5 µg/m³ | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 18 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 18.1 µg/m³ | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 19.8 µg/m³ | +9.4% |
| 2023 | 20.1 µg/m³ | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 20.4 µg/m³ | +1.5% |
Israel compared with similar countries
- Israel's 20.4 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 2.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Israel's 20.4 µg/m³ is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1 µg/m³, 60% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.6 µg/m³ | 16.6 µg/m³ | 16.6 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.37 µg/m³ | 17.8 µg/m³ | 21.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.24 µg/m³ | 18.2 µg/m³ | 22.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.28 µg/m³ | 18 µg/m³ | 20.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Israel
- 80 Bulgaria 20.6 µg/m³ compare
- 81 Nicaragua 20.5 µg/m³ compare
- 83 Costa Rica 20.3 µg/m³ compare
- 84 Cote d'Ivoire 20.2 µg/m³ compare
- 84 Ethiopia 20.2 µg/m³ compare
- 84 Sierra Leone 20.2 µg/m³ compare
- 84 Tunisia 20.2 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Israel
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -15.63 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -11.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.477 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.69 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.08 % 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 0.0542 % 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 Israel?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Israel was 20.4 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 Israel?
- The highest recorded value was 22.5 µg/m³ in 2011.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Israel?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.6 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Israel rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Israel ranks 82nd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Israel?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Israel 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.