Air pollution threatens the health of 6.3 million people across 5 districts in Limpopo. The average PM2.5 level is 15.6 µg/m³—3.1× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Limpopo faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 6.3 million across 5 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 15.6µg/m³. That's 3.1 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 259 cigarettes in a year.
If Limpopo met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.03 years longer.
That's 6.5M years of life stolen from 6.3 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 Limpopo. 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 Limpopo, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vhembe | 1.6M | 13.2 | 0.8 years |
| Capricorn | 1.4M | 13.8 | 0.9 years |
| Mopani | 1.3M | 14.7 | 0.9 years |
| Sekhukhune | 1.3M | 20.6 | 1.5 years |
| Waterberg | 735K | 17.0 | 1.2 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.