Fine particulate pollution (PM2.5)
Annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in µg/m³. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³.
9.9 µg/m³
-0.4% vs previous period
As of 2020
Historical trend
Trend summary
Annual mean PM2.5 concentration in the UK was 9.6 µg/m³ in 2020 (World Bank estimate), above the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
Trend
- UK PM2.5 concentrations have fallen from around 13.5 µg/m³ in 1990 to 9.6 µg/m³ in 2020, a reduction of approximately 29%.
- The UK rate of 9.6 µg/m³ is below Italy (13.9) and Germany (11.0) but above Canada (6.4) and the US (7.9) in the same period.
- Reductions have been driven by declining industrial and road transport emissions; wood burning has partially offset gains in some urban areas.
Context
- World Bank data is derived from satellite observations combined with ground-based monitoring; it is a modelled estimate for the population-weighted national average.
- DEFRA publishes its own annual UK air quality statistics based on the national monitoring network, which shows similar trends.
Trend summary generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 on 20 June 2024. Contains no editorial judgement — describes direction, magnitude, and official projections only.
OECD comparison
🇨🇦 Canada
6.4 µg/m³
🇺🇸 United States
7.9 µg/m³
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
9.9 µg/m³
🇩🇪 Germany
10 µg/m³
🇫🇷 France
11 µg/m³
🇯🇵 Japan
11 µg/m³
🇮🇹 Italy
15 µg/m³