Outdoor air pollution exposure in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 50.4 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
50.4
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
7th
of 241 countries
All-time high
62.6
in 2022
All-time low
39.1
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Saudi Arabia, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in Saudi Arabia is 50.4, 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, outdoor air pollution exposure in Saudi Arabia peaked at 62.6 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 39.1, 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 39.1 | — |
| 1999 | 45.1 | +15.3% |
| 2000 | 47 | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 44.7 | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 44.9 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 52.3 | +16.5% |
| 2004 | 48.6 | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 49.9 | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 53.5 | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 52.4 | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 56.7 | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 56.3 | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 58 | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 59.6 | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 56.2 | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 54.7 | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 52.3 | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 57.6 | +10.1% |
| 2016 | 54.3 | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 57.9 | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 59.8 | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 60 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 55.9 | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 59.1 | +5.7% |
| 2022 | 62.6 | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 49.5 | -20.9% |
| 2024 | 50.4 | +1.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 50.4 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 4.9× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 50.4 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.1 | 39.1 | 45.1 | 2 |
| 2000s | 50.63 | 44.7 | 56.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.04 | 52.3 | 60 | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.5 | 49.5 | 62.6 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0134 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 3.63 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.424 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 62.36 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.53 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Saudi Arabia?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Saudi Arabia was 50.4 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 62.6 in 2022.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.1 in 1998.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 7th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Outdoor air pollution exposure. 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).