Quality of life · Civic life & environment
As at 12 October 2026 · official data unless labelled
People exposed to air pollution above WHO guidelines
What the numbers are telling us
The share of people exposed to air pollution above WHO guidelines was 99% in 2020, down 0.24 pts on the previous reading (99.2%).
It is close to its 10-year average of 99.1%.
Across 37 OECD countries (2020), Australia ranks 10th best of 37 on air pollution, below the median of 99.7%.
Why it matters
Fine-particle pollution above World Health Organization guideline levels harms heart and lung health.
What it should be
There is no official target, so Australia is judged against comparable countries: lower than the OECD median is better. The OECD median is 99.7%.
Every figure on this page is calculated from the stored official series (OECD, How's Life? Current well-being (OECD WISE)); the summary is written from the numbers, not edited by hand.