Air pollution threatens the health of 2.2 million people across 9 districts in Équateur. The average PM2.5 level is 32.2 µg/m³—6.4× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Équateur faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 2.2 million across 9 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 32.2µg/m³. That's 6.4 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 534 cigarettes in a year.
If Équateur met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 2.66 years longer.
That's 5.8M years of life stolen from 2.2 million people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.
Lives cut short. Breathing kills.
The top 9 most polluted districts in Équateur. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³—only populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.
Complete air quality data for every district in Équateur, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mbandaka | 426K | 31.8 | 2.6 years |
| Bikoro | 364K | 33.9 | 2.8 years |
| Bolomba | 356K | 29.8 | 2.4 years |
| Ingende | 302K | 32.5 | 2.7 years |
| Basankusu | 205K | 28.2 | 2.3 years |
| Lukolela | 185K | 37.2 | 3.2 years |
| Bomongo | 184K | 34.1 | 2.9 years |
| Makanza | 83K | 32.4 | 2.7 years |
| Basankusu (ville) | 68K | 29.7 | 2.4 years |
Showing 9 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.