Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Italy
Italy: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 15.2 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Italy, 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
Italy recorded 15.2 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Italy peaked at 21.5 µg/m³ in 2006 and was at its lowest, 14.4 µg/m³, in 2021.
Italy ranks 117th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.1 µg/m³ | 18.9 µg/m³ | 19.3 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.97 µg/m³ | 18.5 µg/m³ | 21.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.5 µg/m³ | 15.1 µg/m³ | 20.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.02 µg/m³ | 14.4 µg/m³ | 15.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More environment data for Italy
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 371.17 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 6.3 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 21.92 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 2.28 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 4.49 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0558 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 44.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.1973 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.3495 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 15.57 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Italy?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Italy was 15.2 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 21.5 µg/m³ in 2006.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.4 µg/m³ in 2021.
- How does Italy rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Italy ranks 117th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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.