ACRONYMS National Statistics Institute

Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter PM10 in cities (population weighted)

Scope
Climate change
Action line
Climate impact evaluators
Type of indicator (global, European, national)
  • Global
  • National
Correlation with other sets of indicators
SDG: 11.6.2.1
Description
Urban annual average levels of fine particulate matter (population-weighted). The Urban Air Quality Indicator PM10 shows how the population-weighted average annual mean concentration of PM10 and the number of days per year when the daily mean concentration of 50 µg/m3 is exceeded and is compared with the limit values established since 2005 by the existing legislation.
Calculation method

Calculated for the total population living in municipalities over 50,000 inhabitants. The average value of each pollutant is calculated for all stations pertaining to each municipality over 50,000 inhabitants with a sufficient amount of valid data, multiplied by the population of this municipality. The total of these values for all localities is divided by the total population in these autonomous cities or communities, providing the weighted average.

The indicators were calculated using the data from stations that have participated in the air quality (of any type: traffic, industrial and ground) assessment and are located in municipalities of over 50,000 inhabitants (urban environment). A city may have one or more stations; the indicator for each city is the average of its stations. The total number of stations considered in the calculation of the indicators varies throughout the period, and even in the evaluation of each variable, being a very important aspect that determines the final result.

To aggregate the different municipalities, each city's indicator is weighted by population. In the case of annual averages, all the stations used in the evaluation are used. In the case of the number of days per year in which the average daily concentration of 50 µg/m3 of PM10 particles is exceeded, only those stations with more 75% valid data are used.

Unit of measure
Micrograms/cubic metre
Source
MTED
Periodicity
Annual
Disaggregated data(Gender, age, region in Spain, other)
Come from National Statistics Plan (YES/NO)
No
Responsible institution
MTED
Link to Eurostat metadata
Date of the last metadata update
31/03/2022
Observations
  • Spain has historically presented high levels of particulate matter, whose concentration is sporadically increased naturally by African dust intrusions. Therefore, existing legislation sets out a procedure allowing PM10 and PM2.5 contributions from natural sources to be deducted in order to comply with the legislated values. Urban PM10 and PM2.5 measurements provide partial information on air quality problems and should be supported by information on other pollutants as well as socio-demographic information and atmospheric conditions (precipitation levels, wind action) in urban areas.
  • This indicator is produced by the Subdirectorate-General for Clean Air and Industrial Sustainability, the Directorate-General for Environmental Assessment and Quality and the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, and is published annually as part of the products and services of the National Institute of Statistics, under Quality of Life Indicators, section 8 Environment, 8.1 Pollution and Noise, indicator 8.1.3. INE indicator available at https://ine.es/dynt3/inebase/index.htm?type=pcaxis&path=/t00/ICV/dim8/&file=pcaxis&dh=0&capsel=0