Cleanest Air in the World (PM2.5 Ranking)
Annual PM2.5 concentration by country — WHO data for 36 nations
5.4 µg/m³
Cleanest air in our 36-country set — 🇦🇺 Australia (2024 PM2.5)
| # | Country | PM2.5 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 5.4 µg/m³ |
| 2 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 5.7 µg/m³ |
| 3 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 6.7 µg/m³ |
| 4 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 6.7 µg/m³ |
| 5 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 7.0 µg/m³ |
| 6 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 7.0 µg/m³ |
| 7 | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 7.4 µg/m³ |
| 8 | 🇺🇸 United States | 7.5 µg/m³ |
| 9 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 8.8 µg/m³ |
| 10 | 🇫🇷 France | 8.9 µg/m³ |
| 11 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 9.0 µg/m³ |
| 12 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 9.0 µg/m³ |
| 13 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 9.1 µg/m³ |
| 14 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 9.3 µg/m³ |
| 15 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 9.6 µg/m³ |
| 16 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 10.0 µg/m³ |
| 17 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 10.5 µg/m³ |
| 18 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 10.5 µg/m³ |
| 19 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 12.2 µg/m³ |
| 20 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 14.5 µg/m³ |
| 21 | 🇬🇷 Greece | 15.1 µg/m³ |
| 22 | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 15.1 µg/m³ |
| 23 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 15.2 µg/m³ |
| 24 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 15.3 µg/m³ |
| 25 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 15.6 µg/m³ |
| 26 | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 15.8 µg/m³ |
| 27 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 18.3 µg/m³ |
| 28 | 🇮🇱 Israel | 20.4 µg/m³ |
| 29 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 21.0 µg/m³ |
| 30 | 🇨🇱 Chile | 23.2 µg/m³ |
| 31 | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 23.3 µg/m³ |
| 32 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 24.4 µg/m³ |
| 33 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 25.6 µg/m³ |
| 34 | 🇹🇷 Turkey | 25.6 µg/m³ |
| 35 | 🇮🇳 India | 44.2 µg/m³ |
| 36 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 55.7 µg/m³ |
PM2.5 is fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns — small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs. The WHO guideline for annual mean exposure is less than 5 µg/m³, revised downward in 2021 from the previous 10 µg/m³ threshold. Long-term exposure above 35 µg/m³ is associated with measurable health impacts (cardiovascular disease, stroke, lung cancer).
In our 36-country set, 🇦🇺 Australia has the cleanest air at 5.4 µg/m³, while 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates sits at 55.7µg/m³. For relocation, this is a daily lifestyle factor — respiratory health, exercise tolerance, and kids' development all depend on it.
Note: this is a country-level average. Large cities can be significantly worse than the rural mean, and vice versa. Data source: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, mirrored on Our World in Data.
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