Air pollution threatens the health of 2.5 million people across 8 districts in Arusha. The average PM2.5 level is 15.7 µg/m³—3.1× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Arusha faces significant air pollution challenges. 88% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 2.5 million across 8 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 15.7µg/m³. That's 3.1 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 260 cigarettes in a year.
If Arusha met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.06 years longer.
That's 2.7M years of life stolen from 2.5 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 7 most polluted districts in Arusha. 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 Arusha, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arusha Urban | 541K | 16.3 | 1.1 years |
| Arusha | 539K | 15.9 | 1.1 years |
| Meru | 396K | 15.8 | 1.1 years |
| Karatu | 340K | 14.3 | 0.9 years |
| Ngorongoro | 271K | 15.2 | 1.0 years |
| Monduli | 235K | 16.0 | 1.1 years |
| Longido | 182K | 16.4 | 1.1 years |
| Lake Manyara | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 years |
Showing 8 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.