Hungary · PM2.5 Exposure · µg/m³

## What this measures

The average concentration of fine particulate matter (particles under 2.5 micrometres, PM2.5) in the air people breathe in Hungary: annual mean concentrations from satellite observations combined with ground monitors and chemical transport models, weighted by where people live, in micrograms per cubic metre. 1990, 1995 and yearly to 2020.

## Why it matters

PM2.5 is the air pollutant most closely tied to deaths from heart and lung disease and stroke. Population-weighted exposure is how health studies and the WHO compare countries.

## How to read it

Lower is better. The WHO's 2021 guideline for the annual mean is 5 µg/m³. 1990: 24.3; 2020: 14.0; the highest year in this record 2003 (24.5).

## What it does not say

A modelled estimate, not a monitor reading: uncertainty is larger where there are few ground stations. A national average hides large differences between cities and rural areas, and between indoor and outdoor air. The OECD's series currently ends in 2020.

## Source

OECD, "Exposure to air pollution" (OECD.ENV.EPI, DSD_AIR_POL@DF_AIR_POLL, measure MEAN_POP): https://data-explorer.oecd.org. OECD terms: data under CC BY 4.0. Palanor reads it monthly with /api/cron/worldbank-sync (DBnomics mirror when the OECD service is down) and stores the OECD's values unchanged. The World Bank's PM2.5 series is not used because its source (IHME) licenses it for non-commercial use only.