Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Latvia
Latvia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 12.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Latvia, 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 Latvia stood at 12.7 µg/m³.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 30.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Latvia peaked at 21.2 µg/m³ in 2007 and was at its lowest, 12.4 µg/m³, in 2022.
Latvia ranks 141st 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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Latvia, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 20 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 20.1 µg/m³ | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 17.6 µg/m³ | -12.4% |
| 2001 | 17.9 µg/m³ | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 20.1 µg/m³ | +12.3% |
| 2003 | 18.2 µg/m³ | -9.5% |
| 2004 | 16.7 µg/m³ | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 16.7 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 18.8 µg/m³ | +12.6% |
| 2007 | 21.2 µg/m³ | +12.8% |
| 2008 | 20.6 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 18.8 µg/m³ | -8.7% |
| 2010 | 20.7 µg/m³ | +10.1% |
| 2011 | 16.9 µg/m³ | -18.4% |
| 2012 | 17.6 µg/m³ | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 16.7 µg/m³ | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 18.2 µg/m³ | +9.0% |
| 2015 | 15.6 µg/m³ | -14.3% |
| 2016 | 13.6 µg/m³ | -12.8% |
| 2017 | 13.2 µg/m³ | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 15.9 µg/m³ | +20.5% |
| 2019 | 13.6 µg/m³ | -14.5% |
| 2020 | 12.8 µg/m³ | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 13.9 µg/m³ | +8.6% |
| 2022 | 12.4 µg/m³ | -10.8% |
| 2023 | 13 µg/m³ | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 12.7 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 12.7 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 1.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 12.7 µg/m³ is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 99% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.05 µg/m³ | 20 µg/m³ | 20.1 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 18.66 µg/m³ | 16.7 µg/m³ | 21.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.2 µg/m³ | 13.2 µg/m³ | 20.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.96 µg/m³ | 12.4 µg/m³ | 13.9 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More environment data for Latvia
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.883 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.56 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4753 % 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 0.0183 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -0.0555 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Latvia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Latvia was 12.7 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 Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.2 µg/m³ in 2007.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.4 µg/m³ in 2022.
- How does Latvia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Latvia ranks 141st out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latvia 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.