Exposure to outdoor air pollution in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 55.7 µg/m³ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in United Arab Emirates, 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
United Arab Emirates recorded 55.7 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in United Arab Emirates peaked at 60.4 µg/m³ in 2018 and was at its lowest, 48.4 µg/m³, in 1998.
That places United Arab Emirates 4th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.55 µg/m³ | 48.4 µg/m³ | 50.7 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 53.09 µg/m³ | 48.8 µg/m³ | 56.2 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.67 µg/m³ | 52.1 µg/m³ | 60.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.86 µg/m³ | 52.2 µg/m³ | 59.9 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More environment data for United Arab Emirates
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 264.15 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 24.04 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 1.63 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0064 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 27.47 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0509 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 37.08 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.1113 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1261 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 7.67 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in United Arab Emirates?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in United Arab Emirates was 55.7 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 60.4 µg/m³ in 2018.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.4 µg/m³ in 1998.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 4th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.