Air pollution threatens the health of 14.6 million people across 5 districts in Gauteng. The average PM2.5 level is 45.7 µg/m³—9.1× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Gauteng faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 14.6 million across 5 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 45.7µg/m³. That's 9.1 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 758 cigarettes in a year.
If Gauteng met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 4 years longer.
That's 58.2M years of life stolen from 14.6 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 Gauteng. 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 Gauteng, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Johannesburg | 4.6M | 47.7 | 4.2 years |
| Ekurhuleni | 4.0M | 45.8 | 4.0 years |
| City of Tshwane | 3.9M | 47.0 | 4.1 years |
| Sedibeng | 1.0M | 32.1 | 2.7 years |
| West Rand | 962K | 45.3 | 4.0 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.