Defra has published the UK’s latest accredited air quality statistics, covering monitoring data up to 2025, and there are two stand-out findings.
First, the release includes the first assessment of progress against England’s PM2.5 targets – both the legally binding 2040 targets and the 2030 interim targets. Both are well ahead of schedule, making it increasingly likely that the targets will be hit.
Second, the long-term picture for particulate matter remains strong, even with 2025 seeing a weather-driven rise from 2024’s historic low.
These statistics focus on concentrations of pollutants – think of it measuring the amount in the air we breathe, rather than total emissions estimates, which look at the overall quantity of pollutants released.
England is nearing PM2.5 targets
The Environment Act 2021 has two important PM2.5 targets that shape air quality policy:
- TheAnnual Mean Concentration Target (AMCT) requires every monitoring station to be at or below 10 µg/m³ by 2040
- The Population Exposure Reduction Target (PERT) requires a 35% reduction in PM2.5 exposure by 2040
For both of these key targets, government’s most recent numbers are encouraging.
