Air pollution in the UK: sources of monitoring data
Air pollution monitoring networks and how they measure air pollution across the UK.
Air pollution data comes from monitoring stations that measure pollutants in the atmosphere. Air pollution monitoring stations are part of organised monitoring networks that measure different pollutants.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) publish this data on Get air pollution data.
Defra will add more monitoring networks to this page during 2026.
Defra near real-time data
These monitoring networks use technology that allows data to be published on Get air pollution data in near real-time.
Other data from Defra
These monitoring networks do not automatically publish data. They gather air pollution samples which Defra collect and take to a laboratory for analysis.
Defra publish the data after laboratory analysis on Get air pollution data.