Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malta
Malta: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 11.1 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malta, 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
Malta recorded 11.1 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malta peaked at 15.1 µg/m³ in 2007 and was at its lowest, 9.8 µg/m³, in 2020.
That places Malta 154th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Malta, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 12.2 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 12.5 µg/m³ | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 12.6 µg/m³ | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 12.2 µg/m³ | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 12.9 µg/m³ | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 14.9 µg/m³ | +15.5% |
| 2004 | 12.8 µg/m³ | -14.1% |
| 2005 | 12.1 µg/m³ | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 12.8 µg/m³ | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 15.1 µg/m³ | +18.0% |
| 2008 | 14.4 µg/m³ | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 12.9 µg/m³ | -10.4% |
| 2010 | 12.9 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 14.5 µg/m³ | +12.4% |
| 2012 | 12.2 µg/m³ | -15.9% |
| 2013 | 12.2 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 11.7 µg/m³ | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 13.1 µg/m³ | +12.0% |
| 2016 | 11.2 µg/m³ | -14.5% |
| 2017 | 11.3 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 13.3 µg/m³ | +17.7% |
| 2019 | 11.7 µg/m³ | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 9.8 µg/m³ | -16.2% |
| 2021 | 11.1 µg/m³ | +13.3% |
| 2022 | 10.8 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 11.2 µg/m³ | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 11.1 µg/m³ | -0.9% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 11.1 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Malta's 11.1 µg/m³ is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1 µg/m³, 33% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.35 µg/m³ | 12.2 µg/m³ | 12.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.27 µg/m³ | 12.1 µg/m³ | 15.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.41 µg/m³ | 11.2 µg/m³ | 14.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.8 µg/m³ | 9.8 µg/m³ | 11.2 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 152 Somalia 11.5 µg/m³ compare
- 153 Barbados 11.2 µg/m³ compare
- 155 Papua New Guinea 11 µg/m³ compare
- 156 Aruba 10.9 µg/m³ compare
- 157 East Timor 10.8 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Malta
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.365 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.16 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8269 % 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 % 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 Malta?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Malta was 11.1 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 15.1 µg/m³ in 2007.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Malta rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Malta ranks 154th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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.