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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 39.1 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 45.1 µg/m³ | +15.3% |
| 2000 | 47 µg/m³ | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 44.7 µg/m³ | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 44.9 µg/m³ | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 52.3 µg/m³ | +16.5% |
| 2004 | 48.6 µg/m³ | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 49.9 µg/m³ | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 53.5 µg/m³ | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 52.4 µg/m³ | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 56.7 µg/m³ | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 56.3 µg/m³ | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 58 µg/m³ | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 59.6 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 56.2 µg/m³ | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 54.7 µg/m³ | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 52.3 µg/m³ | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 57.6 µg/m³ | +10.1% |
| 2016 | 54.3 µg/m³ | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 57.9 µg/m³ | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 59.8 µg/m³ | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 60 µg/m³ | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 55.9 µg/m³ | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 59.1 µg/m³ | +5.7% |
| 2022 | 62.6 µg/m³ | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 49.5 µg/m³ | -20.9% |
| 2024 | 50.4 µg/m³ | +1.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 50.4 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 4.9× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 50.4 µg/m³ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1 µg/m³, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
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
- 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)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.53 % 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 9.62 % 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 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.