Air pollution threatens the health of 3.1 million people across 8 districts in Kagera. The average PM2.5 level is 25.2 µg/m³—5.0× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Kagera faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 3.1 million across 8 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 25.2µg/m³. That's 5.0 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 418 cigarettes in a year.
If Kagera met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.97 years longer.
That's 6.2M years of life stolen from 3.1 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 8 most polluted districts in Kagera. 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 Kagera, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muleba | 674K | 21.2 | 1.6 years |
| Karagwe | 429K | 25.8 | 2.0 years |
| Biharamulo | 418K | 23.3 | 1.8 years |
| Ngara | 416K | 25.1 | 2.0 years |
| Kyerwa | 415K | 29.9 | 2.4 years |
| Bukoba Rural | 370K | 24.9 | 1.9 years |
| Missenyi | 262K | 30.0 | 2.5 years |
| Bukoba Urban | 165K | 25.6 | 2.0 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.