Exposure to outdoor air pollution in North Macedonia
North Macedonia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 20.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in North Macedonia, 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
North Macedonia recorded 20.7 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.2% on the previous year and down 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in North Macedonia peaked at 30.2 µg/m³ in 2011 and was at its lowest, 20.7 µg/m³, in 2024.
North Macedonia ranks 78th 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 North Macedonia, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 26.1 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 25 µg/m³ | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 29 µg/m³ | +16.0% |
| 2001 | 27.1 µg/m³ | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 29.3 µg/m³ | +8.1% |
| 2003 | 29.7 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 27.7 µg/m³ | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 27.4 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 28.7 µg/m³ | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 28.3 µg/m³ | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 27.5 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 26.8 µg/m³ | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 27.1 µg/m³ | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 30.2 µg/m³ | +11.4% |
| 2012 | 29.8 µg/m³ | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 28.1 µg/m³ | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 25.1 µg/m³ | -10.7% |
| 2015 | 28.3 µg/m³ | +12.7% |
| 2016 | 27.4 µg/m³ | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 27.1 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 27.2 µg/m³ | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 23 µg/m³ | -15.4% |
| 2020 | 23.5 µg/m³ | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 21.3 µg/m³ | -9.4% |
| 2022 | 22.6 µg/m³ | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 21.6 µg/m³ | -4.4% |
| 2024 | 20.7 µg/m³ | -4.2% |
North Macedonia compared with similar countries
- North Macedonia's 20.7 µg/m³ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- North Macedonia's 20.7 µg/m³ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 1.6× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.55 µg/m³ | 25 µg/m³ | 26.1 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 28.15 µg/m³ | 26.8 µg/m³ | 29.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.33 µg/m³ | 23 µg/m³ | 30.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.94 µg/m³ | 20.7 µg/m³ | 23.5 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Macedonia
More environment data for North Macedonia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.21 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 3.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.483 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.22 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -7.16 % 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 -10.18 % 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 North Macedonia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in North Macedonia was 20.7 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 North Macedonia?
- The highest recorded value was 30.2 µg/m³ in 2011.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in North Macedonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.7 µg/m³ in 2024.
- How does North Macedonia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- North Macedonia ranks 78th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in North Macedonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Macedonia 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.