Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Netherlands

Netherlands: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 9.6 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
9.6 µg/m³
Change on year
up 10.3%
World rank
173rd
of 241 countries
All-time high
17 µg/m³
in 2003
All-time low
8.7 µg/m³
in 2023
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Netherlands, 1998–2024

0510151998201120241998: 16.3 µg/m³1999: 14.5 µg/m³2000: 15.1 µg/m³2001: 14.2 µg/m³2002: 15.2 µg/m³2003: 17 µg/m³2004: 15 µg/m³2005: 14.3 µg/m³2006: 15 µg/m³2007: 15.3 µg/m³2008: 16.1 µg/m³2009: 16.4 µg/m³2010: 16.2 µg/m³2011: 16.5 µg/m³2012: 13.6 µg/m³2013: 14.1 µg/m³2014: 13.9 µg/m³2015: 12.7 µg/m³2016: 12.1 µg/m³2017: 12.1 µg/m³2018: 12.8 µg/m³2019: 11.1 µg/m³2020: 9.3 µg/m³2021: 10 µg/m³2022: 9.6 µg/m³2023: 8.7 µg/m³2024: 9.6 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 Netherlands is 9.6 µg/m³, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 10.3% on the previous year and down 30.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Netherlands peaked at 17 µg/m³ in 2003 and was at its lowest, 8.7 µg/m³, in 2023.

Netherlands ranks 173rd 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 15.4 µg/m³ 14.5 µg/m³ 16.3 µg/m³ 2
2000s 15.36 µg/m³ 14.2 µg/m³ 17 µg/m³ 10
2010s 13.51 µg/m³ 11.1 µg/m³ 16.5 µg/m³ 10
2020s 9.44 µg/m³ 8.7 µg/m³ 10 µg/m³ 5

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 172 Falkland Islands 9.7 µg/m³ compare
  2. 174 Belgium 9.3 µg/m³ compare
  3. 176 Dominica 9.1 µg/m³ compare
  4. 176 Germany 9.1 µg/m³ compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Netherlands?
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Netherlands was 9.6 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 Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 17 µg/m³ in 2003.
What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 8.7 µg/m³ in 2023.
How does Netherlands rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
Netherlands ranks 173rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Netherlands 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.