Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Norway

Norway: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 6.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
6.7 µg/m³
Change on year
up 11.7%
World rank
198th
of 241 countries
All-time high
8.6 µg/m³
in 2003
All-time low
5.3 µg/m³
in 2020
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Norway, 1998–2024

024681998201120241998: 8.5 µg/m³1999: 8.3 µg/m³2000: 8.4 µg/m³2001: 7.6 µg/m³2002: 8 µg/m³2003: 8.6 µg/m³2004: 7.3 µg/m³2005: 7.1 µg/m³2006: 8.4 µg/m³2007: 7.1 µg/m³2008: 7.5 µg/m³2009: 7.5 µg/m³2010: 7.6 µg/m³2011: 8 µg/m³2012: 6.9 µg/m³2013: 7.1 µg/m³2014: 7.4 µg/m³2015: 6.3 µg/m³2016: 6.5 µg/m³2017: 6.1 µg/m³2018: 6.8 µg/m³2019: 6.3 µg/m³2020: 5.3 µg/m³2021: 6.4 µg/m³2022: 6.1 µg/m³2023: 6 µg/m³2024: 6.7 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

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 196 Seychelles 6.9 µg/m³ compare
  2. 197 Saint Kitts and Nevis 6.8 µg/m³ compare
  3. 198 Estonia 6.7 µg/m³ compare
  4. 198 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 6.7 µg/m³ compare
  5. 201 Saint Barthelemy 6.6 µg/m³ compare
  6. 201 Saint Martin (French part) 6.6 µg/m³ compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for Norway

All data for Norway →

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

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.