Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Libya
Libya: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 17.1 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Libya, 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
The most recent figure for exposure to outdoor air pollution in Libya is 17.1 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 5.6% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Libya peaked at 20.9 µg/m³ in 1998 and was at its lowest, 15.2 µg/m³, in 2020.
Libya ranks 101st 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 Libya, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 20.9 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 20.5 µg/m³ | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 17.9 µg/m³ | -12.7% |
| 2001 | 17.7 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 17.8 µg/m³ | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 19.3 µg/m³ | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 18.8 µg/m³ | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 18.7 µg/m³ | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 17.5 µg/m³ | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 18.8 µg/m³ | +7.4% |
| 2008 | 18.8 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 19.2 µg/m³ | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 20.5 µg/m³ | +6.8% |
| 2011 | 18.6 µg/m³ | -9.3% |
| 2012 | 16 µg/m³ | -14.0% |
| 2013 | 18.6 µg/m³ | +16.3% |
| 2014 | 16 µg/m³ | -14.0% |
| 2015 | 16.3 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 17.3 µg/m³ | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 16.1 µg/m³ | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 18 µg/m³ | +11.8% |
| 2019 | 17.2 µg/m³ | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 15.2 µg/m³ | -11.6% |
| 2021 | 17.1 µg/m³ | +12.5% |
| 2022 | 17.9 µg/m³ | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 16.2 µg/m³ | -9.5% |
| 2024 | 17.1 µg/m³ | +5.6% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 17.1 µg/m³ is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 100% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Libya's 17.1 µg/m³ is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1 µg/m³, 50% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.7 µg/m³ | 20.5 µg/m³ | 20.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 18.45 µg/m³ | 17.5 µg/m³ | 19.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.46 µg/m³ | 16 µg/m³ | 20.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.7 µg/m³ | 15.2 µg/m³ | 17.9 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Libya
- 98 Morocco 17.4 µg/m³ compare
- 99 Liberia 17.2 µg/m³ compare
- 99 Montenegro 17.2 µg/m³ compare
- 102 Cape Verde 17 µg/m³ compare
- 102 Kyrgyzstan 17 µg/m³ compare
- 102 Mozambique 17 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Libya
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -35.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -10.37 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.386 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.2239 % 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 0.1672 % 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 Libya?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Libya was 17.1 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 Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 20.9 µg/m³ in 1998.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.2 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Libya rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Libya ranks 101st out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Libya 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.