Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Norway
Norway: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 6.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Norway, 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
In 2024, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Norway stood at 6.7 µg/m³.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.7% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Norway peaked at 8.6 µg/m³ in 2003 and was at its lowest, 5.3 µg/m³, in 2020.
That places Norway 198th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Norway, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8.5 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 8.3 µg/m³ | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 8.4 µg/m³ | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 7.6 µg/m³ | -9.5% |
| 2002 | 8 µg/m³ | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 8.6 µg/m³ | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 7.3 µg/m³ | -15.1% |
| 2005 | 7.1 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 8.4 µg/m³ | +18.3% |
| 2007 | 7.1 µg/m³ | -15.5% |
| 2008 | 7.5 µg/m³ | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 7.5 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7.6 µg/m³ | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 8 µg/m³ | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 6.9 µg/m³ | -13.7% |
| 2013 | 7.1 µg/m³ | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 7.4 µg/m³ | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 6.3 µg/m³ | -14.9% |
| 2016 | 6.5 µg/m³ | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 6.1 µg/m³ | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 6.8 µg/m³ | +11.5% |
| 2019 | 6.3 µg/m³ | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 5.3 µg/m³ | -15.9% |
| 2021 | 6.4 µg/m³ | +20.8% |
| 2022 | 6.1 µg/m³ | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 6 µg/m³ | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 6.7 µg/m³ | +11.7% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 6.7 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 65% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Norway's 6.7 µg/m³ is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 52% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.4 µg/m³ | 8.3 µg/m³ | 8.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.75 µg/m³ | 7.1 µg/m³ | 8.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.9 µg/m³ | 6.1 µg/m³ | 8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.1 µg/m³ | 5.3 µg/m³ | 6.7 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 196 Seychelles 6.9 µg/m³ compare
- 197 Saint Kitts and Nevis 6.8 µg/m³ compare
- 198 Estonia 6.7 µg/m³ compare
- 198 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 6.7 µg/m³ compare
- 201 Saint Barthelemy 6.6 µg/m³ compare
- 201 Saint Martin (French part) 6.6 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Norway
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.9857 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.8118 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.738 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.52 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.08 % 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 -0.28 % 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 Norway?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Norway was 6.7 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 8.6 µg/m³ in 2003.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Norway rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Norway ranks 198th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway 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.