Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Pollution, grime or other environmental problems was 14.0% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Latest (2018)
14.0%
Change on year
up 22.8%
World rank
16th
of 47 countries
All-time high
14.1%
in 2005
All-time low
7.5%
in 2014
Years of data
14
2005–2018
Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in United Kingdom, 2005–2018
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
In 2018, pollution, grime or other environmental problems in United Kingdom stood at 14.0%.
The figure is up 22.8% on the previous year and up 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pollution, grime or other environmental problems in United Kingdom peaked at 14.1% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 2014.
United Kingdom ranks 16th of 47 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 14.1% | — |
| 2006 | 13.2% | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 13.1% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 12.4% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 11.9% | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 11.8% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 11.5% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 8.3% | -27.8% |
| 2013 | 8.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7.5% | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 8.5% | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 9.0% | +5.9% |
| 2017 | 11.4% | +26.7% |
| 2018 | 14.0% | +22.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 14.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.4%, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 14.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.3%, 1.4× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.9% | 11.9% | 14.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 10.0% | 7.5% | 14.0% | 9 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More environment data for United Kingdom
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.13 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.25 Percentage change (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -2.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.47 % 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 -0.8735 % 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 -1.29 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pollution, grime or other environmental problems in United Kingdom?
- Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in United Kingdom was 14.0% in 2018, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest pollution, grime or other environmental problems recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 14.1% in 2005.
- What is the lowest pollution, grime or other environmental problems recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 2014.
- How does United Kingdom rank for pollution, grime or other environmental problems?
- United Kingdom ranks 16th out of 47 countries with data for 2018.
- Is pollution, grime or other environmental problems rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Pollution, grime or other environmental problems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).