Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Japan
Japan: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 10.5 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Japan, 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
Japan recorded 10.5 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
That represents a change of down 6.2% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Japan peaked at 15.3 µg/m³ in 2000 and was at its lowest, 10.1 µg/m³, in 1999.
Japan ranks 161st 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 | 11 µg/m³ | 10.1 µg/m³ | 11.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.11 µg/m³ | 13.1 µg/m³ | 15.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.57 µg/m³ | 12.1 µg/m³ | 13.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.2 µg/m³ | 10.5 µg/m³ | 11.8 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More environment data for Japan
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 1,063 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.58 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 38.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 1.04 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 3.5 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.3162 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 50.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.6478 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.4564 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 5.74 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Japan?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Japan was 10.5 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 15.3 µg/m³ in 2000.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Japan rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Japan ranks 161st out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.