Air pollution threatens the health of 2.0 million people across 7 districts in Kilimanjaro. The average PM2.5 level is 16.3 µg/m³—3.3× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Kilimanjaro faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 2.0 million across 7 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 16.3µg/m³. That's 3.3 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 270 cigarettes in a year.
If Kilimanjaro met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.11 years longer.
That's 2.2M years of life stolen from 2.0 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 Kilimanjaro. 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 Kilimanjaro, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moshi Rural | 563K | 17.9 | 1.3 years |
| Same | 326K | 12.6 | 0.7 years |
| Rombo | 313K | 15.1 | 1.0 years |
| Hai | 254K | 18.4 | 1.3 years |
| Moshi Urban | 222K | 18.7 | 1.3 years |
| Mwanga | 159K | 13.7 | 0.9 years |
| Siha | 140K | 16.7 | 1.1 years |
Showing 7 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.