Exposure to outdoor air pollution in United States
United States: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 7.5 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in United States, 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 United States is 7.5 µg/m³, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 13.8% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in United States peaked at 12.8 µg/m³ in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.3 µg/m³, 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.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in United States, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 12.7 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 12.7 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 12.8 µg/m³ | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 12.5 µg/m³ | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 12.1 µg/m³ | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 11.8 µg/m³ | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 11.3 µg/m³ | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 12.2 µg/m³ | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 11 µg/m³ | -9.8% |
| 2007 | 11.4 µg/m³ | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 10.4 µg/m³ | -8.8% |
| 2009 | 9.4 µg/m³ | -9.6% |
| 2010 | 9.3 µg/m³ | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 9.4 µg/m³ | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 8.8 µg/m³ | -6.4% |
| 2013 | 8.5 µg/m³ | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 8.5 µg/m³ | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8.1 µg/m³ | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 7.5 µg/m³ | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 7.8 µg/m³ | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 7.9 µg/m³ | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 7.3 µg/m³ | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 7.8 µg/m³ | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 8 µg/m³ | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 7.3 µg/m³ | -8.8% |
| 2023 | 8.7 µg/m³ | +19.2% |
| 2024 | 7.5 µg/m³ | -13.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 7.5 µg/m³ is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 73% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.7 µg/m³ | 12.7 µg/m³ | 12.7 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.49 µg/m³ | 9.4 µg/m³ | 12.8 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.31 µg/m³ | 7.3 µg/m³ | 9.4 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.86 µg/m³ | 7.3 µg/m³ | 8.7 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 186 Jersey 8.1 µg/m³ compare
- 187 Antigua and Barbuda 7.8 µg/m³ compare
- 188 Montserrat 7.6 µg/m³ compare
- 190 Guernsey 7.4 µg/m³ compare
- 190 Ireland 7.4 µg/m³ compare
- 192 Puerto Rico 7.3 µg/m³ compare
More environment data for United States
- 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)
- 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)
- 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 -0.624 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.1269 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in United States?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in United States was 7.5 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 States?
- The highest recorded value was 12.8 µg/m³ in 2000.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3 µg/m³ in 2019.
- How does United States rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- United States ranks 189th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution 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 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.