Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Spain
Spain: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 10 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 10 µg/m³.
The figure is up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Spain peaked at 13.1 µg/m³ in 2007 and was at its lowest, 9.6 µg/m³, in 2020.
That places Spain 168th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Spain, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11.9 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 11.2 µg/m³ | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 12.7 µg/m³ | +13.4% |
| 2001 | 12.3 µg/m³ | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 12.5 µg/m³ | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 12.5 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 12.9 µg/m³ | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 12.5 µg/m³ | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 12.8 µg/m³ | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 13.1 µg/m³ | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 11.6 µg/m³ | -11.5% |
| 2009 | 12.2 µg/m³ | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 10.8 µg/m³ | -11.5% |
| 2011 | 11.6 µg/m³ | +7.4% |
| 2012 | 11.2 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 10.1 µg/m³ | -9.8% |
| 2014 | 9.8 µg/m³ | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 11.3 µg/m³ | +15.3% |
| 2016 | 10.1 µg/m³ | -10.6% |
| 2017 | 10.8 µg/m³ | +6.9% |
| 2018 | 10.2 µg/m³ | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 10.1 µg/m³ | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 9.6 µg/m³ | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 9.6 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 10.5 µg/m³ | +9.4% |
| 2023 | 10 µg/m³ | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 10 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 10 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 97% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Spain's 10 µg/m³ is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 78% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.55 µg/m³ | 11.2 µg/m³ | 11.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.51 µg/m³ | 11.6 µg/m³ | 13.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.6 µg/m³ | 9.8 µg/m³ | 11.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.94 µg/m³ | 9.6 µg/m³ | 10.5 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 166 Austria 10.3 µg/m³ compare
- 167 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10.2 µg/m³ compare
- 169 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 9.9 µg/m³ compare
- 169 Cuba 9.9 µg/m³ compare
- 171 Mayotte 9.8 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4277 % 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 -0.5136 % 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 Spain?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Spain was 10 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1 µg/m³ in 2007.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Spain rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Spain ranks 168th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.