Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malaysia

Malaysia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 15.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
15.3 µg/m³
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
115th
of 241 countries
All-time high
24.4 µg/m³
in 2015
All-time low
11.5 µg/m³
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malaysia, 1998–2024

05101520251998201120241998: 12.4 µg/m³1999: 11.5 µg/m³2000: 13.5 µg/m³2001: 12.8 µg/m³2002: 17 µg/m³2003: 14.5 µg/m³2004: 17.7 µg/m³2005: 17.3 µg/m³2006: 21.3 µg/m³2007: 14 µg/m³2008: 13.4 µg/m³2009: 18.1 µg/m³2010: 12.5 µg/m³2011: 16.4 µg/m³2012: 17.4 µg/m³2013: 18 µg/m³2014: 20.1 µg/m³2015: 24.4 µg/m³2016: 15.3 µg/m³2017: 14.3 µg/m³2018: 16.3 µg/m³2019: 21.8 µg/m³2020: 13.8 µg/m³2021: 14.1 µg/m³2022: 14.1 µg/m³2023: 15.3 µg/m³2024: 15.3 µg/m³

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 Malaysia is 15.3 µg/m³, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 23.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malaysia peaked at 24.4 µg/m³ in 2015 and was at its lowest, 11.5 µg/m³, 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.95 µg/m³ 11.5 µg/m³ 12.4 µg/m³ 2
2000s 15.96 µg/m³ 12.8 µg/m³ 21.3 µg/m³ 10
2010s 17.65 µg/m³ 12.5 µg/m³ 24.4 µg/m³ 10
2020s 14.52 µg/m³ 13.8 µg/m³ 15.3 µg/m³ 5

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 112 Poland 15.6 µg/m³ compare
  2. 112 Sao Tome and Principe 15.6 µg/m³ compare
  3. 114 Namibia 15.5 µg/m³ compare
  4. 115 Brazil 15.3 µg/m³ compare
  5. 117 Italy 15.2 µg/m³ compare
  6. 118 Colombia 15.1 µg/m³ compare
  7. 118 Greece 15.1 µg/m³ compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malaysia?
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malaysia was 15.3 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 Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 24.4 µg/m³ in 2015.
What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 11.5 µg/m³ in 1999.
How does Malaysia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
Malaysia ranks 115th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
Is exposure to outdoor air pollution 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 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

Indicator
Exposure to outdoor air pollution
Unit
µg/m³
Source
SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
241 places, 6,507 data points, 1998–2024
Last refreshed

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.