Environment

The average level of air pollution exposure faced by an English resident has fallen significantly since 2003.

Most sources of PM2.5 emissions have fallen in the past twenty years. The only source that has increased emissions since 2003 is domestic combustion.

The levels of air pollution faced by young children and older people are overall similar to those faced by the average population.

Air pollution exposure in London is consistently 15–30% higher than the average from 2003 to 2023.

The most deprived quintile consistently has higher PM2.5 air pollution levels than the least deprived, and this gap has widened since 2017.

Ethnic minorities were exposed to levels of air pollution 13% higher than white populations in 2003; this ‘ethnic pollution gap’ shrank to 6% by 2023.

There is a clear positive correlation between the ethnic minority share and air pollution concentration. 

The correlation between the income deprivation rank and air pollution is weaker and getting slightly stronger over time.

On average, ethnic minorities were exposed to levels of PM2.5 6% higher than those for white people in 2023, down from 13% in 2003.

The regions with the biggest falls in air pollution since 2003 are the South West and the South East, with the North East seeing the smallest fall.

The most deprived quintile consistently has higher PM2.5 pollution levels than the least deprived quintile, and this gap has widened since 2017. 

In 2019, 50% of ethnic minorities were exposed to more than 10µg/m3 air pollution. By 2023, this number had fallen to close to zero.

Average exposure to PM2.5 in England fell by 54% between 2003 and 2023. Almost everywhere in England is now below England’s 2040 target for PM2.5.

We set out how air pollution (PM2.5) has changed across England and explore inequalities by ethnicity, income deprivation, region and age.

Climate change doesn’t care about national borders.