Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Qatar
Qatar: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 75.5 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Qatar, 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 Qatar stood at 75.5 µg/m³.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Qatar peaked at 85.7 µg/m³ in 2022 and was at its lowest, 61.6 µg/m³, in 2002.
Qatar ranks 1st of 241 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Qatar, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 63.1 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 65.8 µg/m³ | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 68.1 µg/m³ | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 64.7 µg/m³ | -5.0% |
| 2002 | 61.6 µg/m³ | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 66.3 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 63.9 µg/m³ | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 62.2 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 63.4 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 66.3 µg/m³ | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 67.6 µg/m³ | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 70.2 µg/m³ | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 69.4 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 67.8 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 73.5 µg/m³ | +8.4% |
| 2013 | 70.3 µg/m³ | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 68.4 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 73.5 µg/m³ | +7.5% |
| 2016 | 69.5 µg/m³ | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 74.8 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
| 2018 | 77.8 µg/m³ | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 74.6 µg/m³ | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 72.1 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 74.9 µg/m³ | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 85.7 µg/m³ | +14.4% |
| 2023 | 76.2 µg/m³ | -11.1% |
| 2024 | 75.5 µg/m³ | -0.9% |
Qatar compared with similar countries
- Qatar's 75.5 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 7.3× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Qatar's 75.5 µg/m³ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1 µg/m³, 2.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 64.45 µg/m³ | 63.1 µg/m³ | 65.8 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 65.43 µg/m³ | 61.6 µg/m³ | 70.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.96 µg/m³ | 67.8 µg/m³ | 77.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.88 µg/m³ | 72.1 µg/m³ | 85.7 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
- 2 Bangladesh 65 µg/m³ compare
- 3 Kuwait 57.3 µg/m³ compare
- 4 United Arab Emirates 55.7 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Qatar
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -61.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -51.99 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.396 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.77 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.24 % 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 0.0001 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -2.79 % 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 Qatar?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Qatar was 75.5 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 Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 85.7 µg/m³ in 2022.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.6 µg/m³ in 2002.
- How does Qatar rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Qatar ranks 1st out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Qatar 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.