Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Switzerland
Switzerland: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 9 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland is 9 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Switzerland peaked at 17.6 µg/m³ in 2003 and was at its lowest, 8.9 µg/m³, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.65 µg/m³ | 15.4 µg/m³ | 15.9 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.04 µg/m³ | 13.7 µg/m³ | 17.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.31 µg/m³ | 9.5 µg/m³ | 15.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.12 µg/m³ | 8.9 µg/m³ | 9.5 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More environment data for Switzerland
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 42.99 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 4.77 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 4.05 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.2549 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.29 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0203 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 5.94 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0476 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0228 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.2474 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Switzerland?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Switzerland was 9 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 17.6 µg/m³ in 2003.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9 µg/m³ in 2020.
- How does Switzerland rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Switzerland ranks 178th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution 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 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.