Outdoor air pollution exposure in Malaysia
Malaysia: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 15.3 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
15.3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
115th
of 241 countries
All-time high
24.4
in 2015
All-time low
11.5
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Malaysia, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in Malaysia is 15.3, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Malaysia peaked at 24.4 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 11.5, in 1999.
Malaysia ranks 115th 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 12.4 | — |
| 1999 | 11.5 | -7.3% |
| 2000 | 13.5 | +17.4% |
| 2001 | 12.8 | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 17 | +32.8% |
| 2003 | 14.5 | -14.7% |
| 2004 | 17.7 | +22.1% |
| 2005 | 17.3 | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 21.3 | +23.1% |
| 2007 | 14 | -34.3% |
| 2008 | 13.4 | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 18.1 | +35.1% |
| 2010 | 12.5 | -30.9% |
| 2011 | 16.4 | +31.2% |
| 2012 | 17.4 | +6.1% |
| 2013 | 18 | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 20.1 | +11.7% |
| 2015 | 24.4 | +21.4% |
| 2016 | 15.3 | -37.3% |
| 2017 | 14.3 | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 16.3 | +14.0% |
| 2019 | 21.8 | +33.7% |
| 2020 | 13.8 | -36.7% |
| 2021 | 14.1 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 14.1 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 15.3 | +8.5% |
| 2024 | 15.3 | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 15.3 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15, 89% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 15.3 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.9, 1.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.95 | 11.5 | 12.4 | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.96 | 12.8 | 21.3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.65 | 12.5 | 24.4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.52 | 13.8 | 15.3 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More environment data for Malaysia
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.0079 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.65 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.179 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.25 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 0.8674 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Malaysia?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Malaysia was 15.3 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 24.4 in 2015.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5 in 1999.
- How does Malaysia rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Malaysia ranks 115th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Outdoor air pollution exposure. 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).