PM2.5 air pollution exposure in Ireland

People in Ireland were exposed to an average PM2.5 concentration of 7.5 µg/m³ in 2023. The value for 2023 is the lowest since 2017.

Measure: Mean annual exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) Unit: Micrograms per cubic metre Data: 1990 to 2023 Source: World Bank
Ireland, 2023 7.5 Micrograms per cubic metre
Change from 2022 −7.3% 2022: 8.1 µg/m³
European Union, 2023 11.0 µg/m³ Official aggregate
Median of European Union (27 countries), 2023 10.7 µg/m³ Middle value of 27 countries
Position in 2023 172nd of 200 See the full ranking

PM2.5 air pollution exposure in Ireland over time

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Ireland European Union ×

Micrograms per cubic metre. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.

Mean annual exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (micrograms per cubic metre), 1999 to 2023
Period IrelandEuropean Union
2023 7.5 µg/m³ 11.0 µg/m³
2022 8.1 µg/m³ 12.2 µg/m³
2021 8.1 µg/m³ 12.1 µg/m³
2020 7.8 µg/m³ 11.4 µg/m³
2019 8.6 µg/m³ 12.1 µg/m³
2018 7.8 µg/m³ 13.8 µg/m³
2017 7.1 µg/m³ 13.8 µg/m³
2016 7.9 µg/m³ 13.5 µg/m³
2015 7.7 µg/m³ 14.4 µg/m³
2014 8.4 µg/m³ 14.4 µg/m³
2013 9.1 µg/m³ 15.1 µg/m³
2012 8.2 µg/m³ 15.6 µg/m³
2011 9.2 µg/m³ 17.5 µg/m³
2010 9.4 µg/m³ 17.2 µg/m³
2009 9.1 µg/m³ 16.9 µg/m³
2008 9.3 µg/m³ 16.7 µg/m³
2007 9.2 µg/m³ 17.1 µg/m³
2006 9.9 µg/m³ 18.2 µg/m³
2005 11.7 µg/m³ 19.8 µg/m³
2004 10.6 µg/m³ 19.3 µg/m³
2003 14.1 µg/m³ 21.9 µg/m³
2002 11.7 µg/m³ 20.8 µg/m³
2001 11.4 µg/m³ 19.7 µg/m³
2000 12.3 µg/m³ 20.9 µg/m³
1999 12.5 µg/m³ 21.3 µg/m³

A dash means no value was published for that period.

In short

  • That is a change of −7.3% from 8.1 µg/m³ in 2022.
  • Since 2013, when it was 9.1 µg/m³, the figure has changed by −17.7%.
  • Among the 200 countries with data for 2023, Ireland has the 172nd highest value.
  • The figure for the European Union in 2023 was 11.0 µg/m³.

Source and dates

Original producer
Global Burden of Disease Study, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
Distributed by
World Bank, World Development Indicators
Dataset or series code
EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3 · dataset details · view at source
Observation period
1990 to 2023 for Ireland
Provider update
8 October 2026
Retrieved
9 November 2026
Published here
9 November 2026
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (per series metadata)
Attribution
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, original data: Global Burden of Disease Study, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation