Air quality in Scottish Highlands

Updated October 2026Sources

6.1PM2.5 µg/m³, yearly

Fairly clean

The annual average PM2.5 in Scottish Highlands was 6.1 µg/m³ in 2013, about 1.2 times the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Key facts

PM2.5: 6.1 µg/m³ yearly average (2013). Measured at Inverness.
PM10: 11.7 µg/m³ (2013).
Nitrogen dioxide: 21 µg/m³ (2013), mostly from traffic.

Air quality across United Kingdom

Place	PM2.5	Level
Edinburgh	4.8 µg/m³	Meets the WHO guideline
Glasgow	5.3 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Scottish Highlands	6.1 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Oxford	7.1 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Newcastle	7.1 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Belfast	7.4 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Cornwall	7.5 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Birmingham	7.9 µg/m³	Fairly clean
York	8.1 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Bristol	8.3 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Leeds	8.3 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Cardiff	8.5 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Liverpool	8.6 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Manchester	8.8 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Bath	9.7 µg/m³	Fairly clean
London	11 µg/m³	Moderate
Brighton	11.8 µg/m³	Moderate

Quick answers

Is the air in Scottish Highlands bad?

Fairly clean: 6.1 µg/m³ of PM2.5 on average, 1.2× the WHO guideline.

How does Scottish Highlands compare with the rest of United Kingdom?

People in United Kingdom breathe 9 µg/m³ of PM2.5 on average (2023, World Bank/WHO), against 6.1 µg/m³ measured here.

More about Scottish Highlands

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Sources

Annual averages are measured values reported to the WHO; check a live map for today's air. Compiled and reviewed by SoloSquare. How we compile and score this. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.