Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Thailand
Thailand: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 23.3 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Thailand, 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 Thailand stood at 23.3 µg/m³.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Thailand peaked at 25.5 µg/m³ in 2013 and was at its lowest, 19.1 µg/m³, in 1999.
Thailand ranks 68th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Thailand, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 21.5 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 19.1 µg/m³ | -11.2% |
| 2000 | 20.5 µg/m³ | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 19.8 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 21.1 µg/m³ | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 21.3 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 24.7 µg/m³ | +16.0% |
| 2005 | 24.7 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 22.3 µg/m³ | -9.7% |
| 2007 | 25.1 µg/m³ | +12.6% |
| 2008 | 23.3 µg/m³ | -7.2% |
| 2009 | 22.8 µg/m³ | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 23 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 24.1 µg/m³ | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 23.2 µg/m³ | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 25.5 µg/m³ | +9.9% |
| 2014 | 24.4 µg/m³ | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 21.7 µg/m³ | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 23.8 µg/m³ | +9.7% |
| 2017 | 20.4 µg/m³ | -14.3% |
| 2018 | 22.9 µg/m³ | +12.3% |
| 2019 | 23.2 µg/m³ | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 23.4 µg/m³ | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 22.5 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 21.8 µg/m³ | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 24.8 µg/m³ | +13.8% |
| 2024 | 23.3 µg/m³ | -6.0% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 23.3 µg/m³ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.15 µg/m³, 1.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 23.3 µg/m³ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.9 µg/m³, 2.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.3 µg/m³ | 19.1 µg/m³ | 21.5 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.56 µg/m³ | 19.8 µg/m³ | 25.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.22 µg/m³ | 20.4 µg/m³ | 25.5 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.16 µg/m³ | 21.8 µg/m³ | 24.8 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
- 65 South Sudan 24.1 µg/m³ compare
- 66 Guinea 23.9 µg/m³ compare
- 67 Azerbaijan 23.7 µg/m³ compare
- 69 Chile 23.2 µg/m³ compare
- 69 Palestine 23.2 µg/m³ compare
- 71 Philippines 23.1 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for Thailand
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.54 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.306 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.01 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.85 % 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 0.1009 % 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 Thailand?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Thailand was 23.3 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 Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 25.5 µg/m³ in 2013.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.1 µg/m³ in 1999.
- How does Thailand rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Thailand ranks 68th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand 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.