Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 50.4 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Saudi Arabia, 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 Saudi Arabia is 50.4 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Saudi Arabia peaked at 62.6 µg/m³ in 2022 and was at its lowest, 39.1 µg/m³, in 1998.
That places Saudi Arabia 7th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.1 µg/m³ | 39.1 µg/m³ | 45.1 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 50.63 µg/m³ | 44.7 µg/m³ | 56.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.04 µg/m³ | 52.3 µg/m³ | 60 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.5 µg/m³ | 49.5 µg/m³ | 62.6 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 838.88 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 23.76 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 8.68 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0153 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 69.55 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0811 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 113.12 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.3635 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.3983 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 33.24 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Saudi Arabia?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Saudi Arabia was 50.4 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 62.6 µg/m³ in 2022.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.1 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 7th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.