Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Poland
Poland: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 15.6 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Poland, 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 Poland stood at 15.6 µg/m³.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and down 35.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Poland peaked at 29.4 µg/m³ in 2006 and was at its lowest, 14.9 µg/m³, in 2023.
Poland ranks 112th 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 Poland, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 28.1 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 26.5 µg/m³ | -5.7% |
| 2000 | 25.2 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 26.7 µg/m³ | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 29.3 µg/m³ | +9.7% |
| 2003 | 27.9 µg/m³ | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 25.7 µg/m³ | -7.9% |
| 2005 | 27 µg/m³ | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 29.4 µg/m³ | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 22.9 µg/m³ | -22.1% |
| 2008 | 22.9 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 24.8 µg/m³ | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 28.7 µg/m³ | +15.7% |
| 2011 | 26.9 µg/m³ | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 24.1 µg/m³ | -10.4% |
| 2013 | 23 µg/m³ | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 24 µg/m³ | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 22 µg/m³ | -8.3% |
| 2016 | 21.3 µg/m³ | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 21.7 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 22.4 µg/m³ | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 18.7 µg/m³ | -16.5% |
| 2020 | 16.6 µg/m³ | -11.2% |
| 2021 | 18.4 µg/m³ | +10.8% |
| 2022 | 16.6 µg/m³ | -9.8% |
| 2023 | 14.9 µg/m³ | -10.2% |
| 2024 | 15.6 µg/m³ | +4.7% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 15.6 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 1.5× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Poland's 15.6 µg/m³ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 1.2× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.3 µg/m³ | 26.5 µg/m³ | 28.1 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 26.18 µg/m³ | 22.9 µg/m³ | 29.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.28 µg/m³ | 18.7 µg/m³ | 28.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.42 µg/m³ | 14.9 µg/m³ | 18.4 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More environment data for Poland
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.777 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.06 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.73 % 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 0.1029 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -4.67 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Poland?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Poland was 15.6 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 Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 29.4 µg/m³ in 2006.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.9 µg/m³ in 2023.
- How does Poland rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Poland ranks 112th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Poland 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.