Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sweden
Sweden: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 5.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sweden, 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
Sweden recorded 5.7 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.8% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sweden peaked at 8.3 µg/m³ in 2006 and was at its lowest, 5 µg/m³, in 2020.
That places Sweden 207th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.2 µg/m³ | 8.2 µg/m³ | 8.2 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.52 µg/m³ | 7 µg/m³ | 8.3 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.44 µg/m³ | 5.4 µg/m³ | 7.7 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.3 µg/m³ | 5 µg/m³ | 5.7 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More environment data for Sweden
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 52.57 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 4.97 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 3.79 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.3307 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.2101 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.2019 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 8.12 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.1974 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0287 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 3.35 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sweden?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Sweden was 5.7 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 8.3 µg/m³ in 2006.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Sweden rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Sweden ranks 207th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.