Outdoor air pollution exposure in Switzerland
Switzerland: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 9 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
9
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
178th
of 241 countries
All-time high
17.6
in 2003
All-time low
8.9
in 2020
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Switzerland, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in Switzerland is 9, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Switzerland peaked at 17.6 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 8.9, in 2020.
That places Switzerland 178th 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 15.4 | — |
| 1999 | 15.9 | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 15.3 | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 15.6 | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 16.3 | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 17.6 | +8.0% |
| 2004 | 13.8 | -21.6% |
| 2005 | 14.5 | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 15.2 | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 13.7 | -9.9% |
| 2008 | 13.7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 14.7 | +7.3% |
| 2010 | 14.7 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 15.4 | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 13.3 | -13.6% |
| 2013 | 13.3 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 11.2 | -15.8% |
| 2015 | 12.3 | +9.8% |
| 2016 | 11.3 | -8.1% |
| 2017 | 11 | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 11.1 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 9.5 | -14.4% |
| 2020 | 8.9 | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 9.1 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 9.5 | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 9.1 | -4.2% |
| 2024 | 9 | -1.1% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 9 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 87% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 9 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8, 70% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.65 | 15.4 | 15.9 | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.04 | 13.7 | 17.6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.31 | 9.5 | 15.4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.12 | 8.9 | 9.5 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More environment data for Switzerland
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.2262 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.1174 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.2925 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.4333 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.458 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.33 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 27.08 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0.7215 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Switzerland?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Switzerland was 9 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 17.6 in 2003.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9 in 2020.
- How does Switzerland rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Switzerland ranks 178th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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).