Outdoor air pollution exposure in United States
United States: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 7.5 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
7.5
Change on year
down 13.8%
World rank
189th
of 241 countries
All-time high
12.8
in 2000
All-time low
7.3
in 2019
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in United States, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outdoor air pollution exposure in United States is 7.5, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 13.8% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in United States peaked at 12.8 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.3, in 2019.
That places United States 189th out of 241 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 12.7 | — |
| 1999 | 12.7 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 12.8 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 12.5 | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 12.1 | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 11.8 | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 11.3 | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 12.2 | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 11 | -9.8% |
| 2007 | 11.4 | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 10.4 | -8.8% |
| 2009 | 9.4 | -9.6% |
| 2010 | 9.3 | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 9.4 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 8.8 | -6.4% |
| 2013 | 8.5 | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 8.5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8.1 | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 7.5 | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 7.8 | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 7.9 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 7.3 | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 7.8 | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 8 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 7.3 | -8.8% |
| 2023 | 8.7 | +19.2% |
| 2024 | 7.5 | -13.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 7.5 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 73% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.49 | 9.4 | 12.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.31 | 7.3 | 9.4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.86 | 7.3 | 8.7 | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 186 Jersey 8.1 compare
- 187 Antigua and Barbuda 7.8 compare
- 188 Montserrat 7.6 compare
- 190 Guernsey 7.4 compare
- 190 Ireland 7.4 compare
- 192 Puerto Rico 7.3 compare
More environment data for United States
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % 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 0.7539 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 28.17 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate -1.39 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 3.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.3672 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in United States?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in United States was 7.5 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 12.8 in 2000.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3 in 2019.
- How does United States rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- United States ranks 189th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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).