Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Russia
Russia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 12.9 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Russia, 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
The most recent figure for exposure to outdoor air pollution in Russia is 12.9 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Russia peaked at 18.7 µg/m³ in 2010 and was at its lowest, 10.2 µg/m³, in 2022.
Russia ranks 137th 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 Russia, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 16.5 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 15.7 µg/m³ | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 15.3 µg/m³ | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 16 µg/m³ | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 16.9 µg/m³ | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 15.9 µg/m³ | -5.9% |
| 2004 | 14.8 µg/m³ | -6.9% |
| 2005 | 15.7 µg/m³ | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 16 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 14.4 µg/m³ | -10.0% |
| 2008 | 15.1 µg/m³ | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 15.8 µg/m³ | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 18.7 µg/m³ | +18.4% |
| 2011 | 13.8 µg/m³ | -26.2% |
| 2012 | 12.8 µg/m³ | -7.2% |
| 2013 | 11.8 µg/m³ | -7.8% |
| 2014 | 12.7 µg/m³ | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 11.8 µg/m³ | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 11.5 µg/m³ | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 11.4 µg/m³ | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 10.5 µg/m³ | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 10.5 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 10.4 µg/m³ | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 10.6 µg/m³ | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 10.2 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 12.3 µg/m³ | +20.6% |
| 2024 | 12.9 µg/m³ | +4.9% |
Russia compared with similar countries
- Russia's 12.9 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 1.3× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Russia's 12.9 µg/m³ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.1 µg/m³ | 15.7 µg/m³ | 16.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.59 µg/m³ | 14.4 µg/m³ | 16.9 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.55 µg/m³ | 10.5 µg/m³ | 18.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.28 µg/m³ | 10.2 µg/m³ | 12.9 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Russia
More environment data for Russia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.76 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.18 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.5 % 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 -1.96 % 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 0.5219 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Russia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Russia was 12.9 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 Russia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.7 µg/m³ in 2010.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Russia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2 µg/m³ in 2022.
- How does Russia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Russia ranks 137th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Russia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Russia 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.