Air pollution threatens the health of 2.9 million people across 5 districts in Free State. The average PM2.5 level is 22.1 µg/m³—4.4× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Free State faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 2.9 million across 5 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 22.1µg/m³. That's 4.4 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 367 cigarettes in a year.
If Free State met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.67 years longer.
That's 4.8M years of life stolen from 2.9 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 Free State. 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 Free State, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thabo Mofutsanyane | 803K | 25.3 | 2.0 years |
| Mangaung | 756K | 19.5 | 1.4 years |
| Lejweleputswa | 657K | 20.7 | 1.5 years |
| Fezile Dabi | 492K | 25.2 | 2.0 years |
| Xhariep | 151K | 14.6 | 0.9 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.