Air pollution threatens the health of 7.4 million people across 5 districts in Tigray. The average PM2.5 level is 12.9 µg/m³—2.6× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Tigray faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 7.4 million across 5 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 12.9µg/m³. That's 2.6 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 214 cigarettes in a year.
If Tigray met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.8 years longer.
That's 5.9M years of life stolen from 7.4 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 5 most polluted districts in Tigray. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Complete air quality data for every district in Tigray, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debubawi | 2.5M | 14.8 | 1.0 years |
| Mehakelegnaw | 1.8M | 12.3 | 0.7 years |
| Misraqawi | 1.4M | 12.7 | 0.8 years |
| Semien Mi'irabaw | 1.1M | 10.9 | 0.6 years |
| Mi'irabawi | 590K | 11.4 | 0.6 years |
Showing 5 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.