Statistical data set
Figure 6: Annual concentrations of PM2.5 in the UK, 2009 to 2025
Updated 30 June 2026
| Site type | Year | Number of sites | Mean concentration of PM2.5 (µg/m3) | CI | Lower Bound (95% confidence interval for 'All sites') | Upper Bound (95% confidence interval for 'All sites') |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Background | 2009 | 36 | 12.393308189916052 | 0.6260621707512664 | 11.767246019164785 | 13.019370360667319 |
| Urban Background | 2010 | 34 | 12.973033049634399 | 0.8127206941568023 | 12.160312355477597 | 13.7857537437912 |
| Urban Background | 2011 | 34 | 13.704840342479676 | 0.8931516417900706 | 12.811688700689604 | 14.597991984269747 |
| Urban Background | 2012 | 33 | 12.56147285244517 | 0.768436234500607 | 11.793036617944564 | 13.329909086945777 |
| Urban Background | 2013 | 35 | 12.087196762102181 | 0.6754799668404955 | 11.411716795261686 | 12.762676728942676 |
| Urban Background | 2014 | 33 | 12.079754664034462 | 0.7161463122332261 | 11.363608351801236 | 12.795900976267689 |
| Urban Background | 2015 | 39 | 9.771605678772033 | 0.5280715472297011 | 9.243534131542333 | 10.299677226001734 |
| Urban Background | 2016 | 39 | 9.789564396122282 | 0.5485070708193911 | 9.24105732530289 | 10.338071466941674 |
| Urban Background | 2017 | 39 | 9.414699196056919 | 0.5354085838086834 | 8.879290612248235 | 9.950107779865602 |
| Urban Background | 2018 | 38 | 9.925692182768653 | 0.4663306172883852 | 9.459361565480268 | 10.392022800057038 |
| Urban Background | 2019 | 41 | 9.880706492041437 | 0.4323528503965367 | 9.4483536416449 | 10.313059342437974 |
| Urban Background | 2020 | 42 | 7.88340429542889 | 0.4181835077950806 | 7.465220787633809 | 8.30158780322397 |
| Urban Background | 2021 | 39 | 7.923250598023445 | 0.3847319274080487 | 7.538518670615397 | 8.307982525431495 |
| Urban Background | 2022 | 46 | 8.254496164750094 | 0.36333749210700295 | 7.891158672643091 | 8.617833656857098 |
| Urban Background | 2023 | 56 | 7.2343802311061065 | 0.26866369814471297 | 6.965716532961394 | 7.503043929250819 |
| Urban Background | 2024 | 60 | 7.151135542525132 | 0.19893795008617238 | 6.95219759243896 | 7.350073492611305 |
| Urban Background | 2025 | 71 | 7.996183724077131 | 0.2144103262137121 | 7.781773397863419 | 8.210594050290844 |
| Roadside | 2009 | 5 | 12.771764754539609 | 6.889557093999389 | 5.88220766054022 | 19.661321848538996 |
| Roadside | 2010 | 13 | 14.367954988417118 | 2.7706356710281153 | 11.597319317389003 | 17.138590659445235 |
| Roadside | 2011 | 15 | 15.962968469655214 | 2.547927475686156 | 13.415040993969058 | 18.51089594534137 |
| Roadside | 2012 | 17 | 14.135289943771461 | 1.9571677480763 | 12.178122195695162 | 16.092457691847763 |
| Roadside | 2013 | 19 | 13.345191686095916 | 1.5818242945489636 | 11.763367391546952 | 14.92701598064488 |
| Roadside | 2014 | 19 | 12.587972742365205 | 1.3303943347418652 | 11.25757840762334 | 13.918367077107069 |
| Roadside | 2015 | 21 | 10.941446613108498 | 1.061436940217254 | 9.880009672891244 | 12.002883553325752 |
| Roadside | 2016 | 19 | 10.946450836385944 | 1.301504012881952 | 9.644946823503993 | 12.247954849267895 |
| Roadside | 2017 | 19 | 9.929084338709915 | 1.599379351005663 | 8.329704987704252 | 11.528463689715577 |
| Roadside | 2018 | 20 | 10.605536276050657 | 1.1951169338810044 | 9.410419342169652 | 11.800653209931662 |
| Roadside | 2019 | 23 | 10.075035695118896 | 1.0993062123032507 | 8.975729482815645 | 11.174341907422146 |
| Roadside | 2020 | 22 | 8.059144492851257 | 0.7823677983193582 | 7.276776694531899 | 8.841512291170615 |
| Roadside | 2021 | 21 | 8.323883238491298 | 0.9482650651631999 | 7.375618173328098 | 9.272148303654498 |
| Roadside | 2022 | 22 | 8.741194583948436 | 0.8412593989666641 | 7.899935184981772 | 9.582453982915101 |
| Roadside | 2023 | 23 | 7.765361511732666 | 0.733034087730557 | 7.032327424002109 | 8.498395599463223 |
| Roadside | 2024 | 23 | 7.5350178538471555 | 0.6407877166863176 | 6.894230137160838 | 8.175805570533473 |
| Roadside | 2025 | 45 | 8.552438820606298 | 0.4041957464066815 | 8.148243074199616 | 8.95663456701298 |