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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 48.4 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 50.7 µg/m³ | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 53.1 µg/m³ | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 53.1 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 48.8 µg/m³ | -8.1% |
| 2003 | 53.2 µg/m³ | +9.0% |
| 2004 | 52.6 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 50.7 µg/m³ | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 53.2 µg/m³ | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 54.5 µg/m³ | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 56.2 µg/m³ | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 55.5 µg/m³ | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 54.9 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 55.1 µg/m³ | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 58.3 µg/m³ | +5.8% |
| 2013 | 53.6 µg/m³ | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 52.1 µg/m³ | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 54.8 µg/m³ | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 54.7 µg/m³ | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 55.8 µg/m³ | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 60.4 µg/m³ | +8.2% |
| 2019 | 57 µg/m³ | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 52.2 µg/m³ | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 55.6 µg/m³ | +6.5% |
| 2022 | 59.9 µg/m³ | +7.7% |
| 2023 | 55.9 µg/m³ | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 55.7 µg/m³ | -0.4% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 55.7 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 5.4× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 55.7 µg/m³ is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.1 µg/m³, 1.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -80.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -85.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.331 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.5 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.87 % 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 1.89 % 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 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.